A strong safety culture is one in which every member of an organization understands that safety is a core component of their responsibilities and takes precedence over most other initiatives. In practice, this means that safety should be on everyone’s mind, all the time, and should be a primary component of every decision.
Meanwhile, the most straightforward way a fleet can reduce insurance costs is to reduce the number and severity of crashes each year. Therefore, building a strong safety culture is a great start to getting your fleet on the right path to improved safety and lower claims.
Though a safety-first mindset may sound difficult to implement, there are five easy, actionable steps every fleet can take to strengthen their safety culture:
1. Driver Input
1. Driver InputConsider driver input when designing safety practices. By listening to your drivers and empowering them to speak freely, they are much more likely to reflect the overall culture of your fleet.
2. Structured Channels for Discussion
A regular, organized way for drivers to give feedback encourages them to make suggestions based on their on-the-ground experience, improving fleet practices and keeping safety top-of-mind. Some tools to do this include driver surveys, weekly check-ins, and regular fleet meetups.
3. Safety Awards
Financial incentives for safe driving with formal recognition to back them up are significantly more effective than financial incentives alone, so public commendations are important.
4. Top-Down Safety Messages
When executives demonstrate that safety is important to them and this belief is reflected throughout the organization, drivers are more likely to believe safety is an essential part of their job—and believe it is their personal responsibility. This same study also found that safety messages are particularly effective when they travel down the chain of command from top leadership, through department and front-line managers, all the way to drivers.
5. Simplify Your Safety Message
Safety messages that are clear, simple, and short are significantly more likely to be understood and put into practice by your drivers. Issue safety messages that are clear in meaning, correct on substance, and that address the specific needs of your fleet’s culture.
By implementing these recommendations, you can improve your prospects on the insurance market through heightened compliance and a strong safety culture.
The Best Tool to Help Improve Your Safety Culture
The Idelic Safety Suite® is the trucking industry’s premier driver management platform, and was built to help all fleets unlock the safety culture and insurance savings they need. Safety Suite not only facilitates regular communication between your managers and drivers through automated touchpoints, it also automates your awards system so you don’t have to spend hundreds of hours evaluating each driver’s performance by hand.
With Safety Suite, everyone can keep safety top-of-mind, and making it a priority doesn’t have to be time-consuming. Watch a short video on how you can simplify your safety here.