How much does fleet safety mean to you?
There are over 2.7 million miles of paved road in the US, and on these roads are at least 253 million vehicles.
At least 1 million of these vehicles are known as ‘cargo van’ vehicles, which are used for a wide range of things from maintenance to delivery. They connect consumers with their goods and allow cargo van fleets to provide their customers with the best service.
Imagine the managers of these fleets – maybe you are one yourself. Fleet managers not only oversee large and small fleet operations, but take care of the smallest details from tracking to scheduling. While these fleets brave the roads 24 hours a day, their safety is the top priority for the fleet managers. For the vehicle and cargo van driver, getting from point A to Z and back again with ultimate safety is the concern and reason for their stress.
Cargo van drivers go in and out of the back of the vans all day long. It’s their job. Whether they are loading, unloading, or working inside, they are vulnerable to slip on and trip over cargo or sometimes, unfortunately, the flooring itself.
Consider these facts:
- 65% of fall-related injuries occur as a result of falls from same-level walking surfaces
- Over one million Americans suffer a slip, trip, and fall injury every year
- 1 in 6 of all lost-time work injuries result from slips, trips and falls
- According to the American Trucking Association, slips and falls are the leading cause of compensable injury in the trucking industry
- According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), inadequate floors and flooring materials contribute directly to more than 2 million fall injuries each year.
The last thing any fleet manager or business wants is injuries. Not only are they an inconvenience, but when looked at from all aspects, they are extremely costly:
Downtime
When a skilled technician is unable to work, it can cost the company substantial amounts of money and lead to other negative consequences. This could mean a lack of technicians to complete jobs. Increased lead times and failure to deliver on time can then lead to customer dissatisfaction. Overwork of other technicians trying to fill this void can also lower morale, and ultimately cause a decrease in the fleet’s performance. According to OSHA, the average injury leave is 11 days. A small disruption like this might not seem substantial for one employee, but can cause lapses and confusion amongst the whole workforce.
Injury Pay
There are also the costs of ‘injury pay’ to the technician during the injury leave. There are copious amounts of costs which occur directly and indirectly, and according to awane.com, some of the most unexpected indirect costs can cost three to ten times that of direct costs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); slips, trips and fall injuries account for nearly 20 percent of all Workers' Compensation expenses. Yet another staggering OSHA figure; slips, trips, and fall injuries cost employers on average approximately $40,000 per incident.
Hazard Fines
OSHA can closely investigate the injury and force the fleet to put expensive systems in place or fine the company and possibly the person responsible for employee safety. An average fine from OSHA for one hazardous area can be $1,500 or more. Each incident is cited for this price “across the board”, and even the smallest hazard can be charged.
Permanent Injuries
If the injury is permanent the company could end up paying fees to the employee for the rest of their lives, a direct and indirect cost which can drain profits depending on the severity of the accident.
The safety of each technician in your fleet could potentially be valued at thousands of dollars. Hence, investing in protection for your cargo vans and their workers is of upmost importance, to avoid these horrific costs that can add up and certainly disrupt both monetary and company flows. Slip and fall injuries are more serious than ever imagined – managers are just beginning to realize the severity of potential costs involved if the proper equipment is provided for protection and prevention of such injuries.
Legend Fleet Solutions provides rigid, anti-slip flooring solutions to reduce the risk of injury and downtime. No matter the industry, our interior protection systems can allow your fleet to maximize its efficiency and productivity by providing safe and reliable flooring for your workers.
Be like some of North America’s hardest-working fleets who we are proud to call our clients!
Visit us @ www.legendfleet.com
Call us @ 519.688.1043.
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