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Fleet
Safety Training For International Aid Organisations |
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Introduction
In 2005, The UN General Assembly highlighted the global road safety crisis.
The centre of this crisis is in low and middle-income countries and is regarded
as a public health, a poverty, and development issue, areas that international
aid organisations continually strive to improve. In 2008, The UN General
Assembly passed a resolution that encourages humanitarian organisations to
develop and implement policies that address and improve the safety of their vehicle
fleets
The
scale of the crisis clearly requires increased and sustained action at both
global and country levels. This presents challenges to government and other
stakeholders to increase and sustain action to prevent road traffic injury. One
stakeholder identified in the WHO 2004 World Report on Road Traffic Injury
Prevention as being vital in terms of response is ‘employers whose staff and
transport services are often major road users’. International aid organisations
are one such category as they are centrally involved as road users and
transport providers. They also aim to promote the interests of the poor, a
group on which poor road safety has a disproportionate impact.
Fleet Safety and International Aid
Organisations
Little is known
on the impact the 80,000 vehicles operated by International Aid Organisations
in developing countries has on the current road safety crises. However, it is
difficult to meet an aid worker who has lived in a low and middle-income
country for a number of years who does not know someone that has been killed,
or injured in a road crash. Road traffic
collisions are the number one cause of injuries among humanitarian workers (WHO
Newsletter on Road Safety 2005). There is enough anecdotal evidence to
suggest that International Aid Organisations do not have a good road safety
record and this is impacting on their target group, the poor.
Fleet Safety and the Supply Chains of
International Aid Organisations
The role of
International Aid Organisations is to deliver product and services to the poor.
The product and service is delivered through the organisations supply chain.
International Aid Organisations that maintain a poor fleet safety record
weakens their own supply chain increase supply chain costs and interrupt the
flow of product and services to the poor. International Aid Organisations
operating under these conditions are likely to be working towards increasing
poverty than working towards reducing poverty.
• Fleet
safety is a supply chain issue and therefore a senior management issue.
• It is not just a matter for the ‘driver' of the vehicle; it is a broader
supply chain issue.
• Fleet safety will result in a weak link in the supply chain and contribute to
higher supply chain costs.
The Way Forward For Fleet Safety Within
International Aid Organisations
If International Aid Organisations wish to improve their own fleet safety
record and show leadership within the transport sector in developing countries
an occupational fleet safety culture must be developed. The people responsible
for building this culture are senior managers who must show commitment,
ability, and officially acknowledge the process for it to be successful.
International Aid Organisations who wish to tackle occupational fleet safety
must develop beliefs, values, and knowledge regarding fleet safety that is
driven by credible research and includes all members of the organisation. A
safety culture starts with the involvement of every employee from senior
managers to part time workers who are sensitised to focus on hazard recognition
and mitigation. An organisations fleet safety culture should be part of the organisations
overall health and safety policy and reinforce good road safety attitudes and
behaviour.
Training Courses Available to International
Aid Organisations
Vehicle Cost Management Training
Most
International Aid Organisations use a vehicle logbook recording system to
measure the amount of kilometres travelled and fuel used in a given period.
Usually the information stays in the logbook and is not converted into monthly
reports for senior managers. The logbooks do not collect the entire vehicle
KPI’s so the information collected is of little value. In short most logbook
systems are a waste of time and money and increase transport supply chain costs
without adding value to the transport system. Transport is a major supply chain
cost, senior managers must have correct up to date information if vehicle costs
are to be controlled and lowered.
Vehicle
cost management training builds the capacity of International Aid Organisations
on how to collect the correct information to measure vehicle-running costs. The
information is converted into vehicle cost comparison reports so senior
managers can monitor vehicle cost performance on a monthly basis. This system
also has a fleet safety element as high vehicle running costs can point to poor
driving. If costs are correctly monitored then action can be taken before poor
driving weakens the organisations supply chain.
Vehicle Maintenance Training
International
Aid Organisations often work in rural areas that do not have the facilities to
maintain and repair modern vehicles. Drivers seldom receive training on the
maintenance requirements for the vehicles they drive. This results in
travelling long distances to have basic maintenance carried out. The vehicle
maintenance training builds the capacity of International Aid Organisations
drivers on the maintenance requirements for the vehicles they drive, and train
them how to safely conduct basic maintenance such as oil and filter changes. This
prolongs the amount of time the vehicle can be stationed at a rural workstation
as the driver can conduct minor maintenance.
Driver Development Programme
There is overwhelming evidence to suggest that driver training, particularly
advanced training, is not effective as a discrete countermeasure to road
trauma. Fleet running costs may be reduced through training coupled with
incentives, because together they can prompt crash-free behaviours. However,
the evidence would suggest that driver trainers on their own have not been able
to change drivers’ behaviour. Some researchers have even suggested that
students may be better off if in fact they do no formal training” (Dr Ron
Christie Nov 2001 The effectiveness of driver training as a road safety
measure: A review of the literature).
For many drivers working for International Aid Organisations training has been limited and driver development programmes almost non-existent. The traditional approach to learning to drive concentrates on building the immediate practical skills needed to pass a driving test. Research shows that this method has failed to bring about the maturity and sound judgement necessary to stop drivers maiming and killing themselves and others.
Driver development enables drivers to reduce and manage risk more effectively. The programme takes place in the classroom over a 24-hour or 4 day period covering 12 modules. It is ideally suited to private sector and NGO organisation and can be delivered in the evenings, at weekends or full time. The modules include: Attitude and Behaviour, Risk Tolerance, Hazard Recognition, Attention, Risk Management, Safety Margins, Motor Skills and the Highway Code a qualified driving educator facilitates all sections. Modern driver development programmes addresses the root cause of driver error by using the very best teaching methods to build sound judgement and awareness in all road conditions. The programme draws on international best practice and follows recommendations from countries where driver development is the norm.
It is a
truly innovated approach to fleet safety that addresses the behavioural issues
associated with road use. Participants are provided with a comprehensive course
material pack containing everything required for the programme. At the completion
of each module participants will undergo a knowledge review and a revision quiz
so progress can be monitored.
The driver-development programme is designed to influence a change in driver attitude and behaviour. On completion of the programme senior management is presented with the average module knowledge levels of each driver and the average fleet safety knowledge level of the professional drivers employed by the organisation. With this information senior managers have the opportunity to continue to raise fleet safety knowledge using an active fleet safety development programme. The programme has senior management input which is vital if fleet safety is going to be active in cutting fatalities, injuries and supply chain costs.