January 6, 2024 • 16 mins
Pete continues his series about road safety by looking at the steps that drivers, owners and managers should and could take if a company vehicle is involved in a road accident while at work.
The latest installment of Get Flush delves into the critical topic of workplace vehicle accidents, emphasizing the importance of immediate response and safety procedures. Host Pete outlines the alarming statistics surrounding motor vehicle-related fatalities at work, drawing attention to the necessity for companies to have clear protocols in place. With motor vehicle crashes being a leading cause of work-related deaths in the U.S. and significant incidents reported in the UK and New Zealand, it becomes evident that road safety is a paramount concern for employers and employees alike. Pete stresses the need for a culture of transparency and openness among staff when it comes to minor incidents, encouraging drivers to report minor collisions without fear of reprimand. This approach fosters an environment where accountability is embraced, which is essential for effective risk management in the workplace.
The episode also addresses the immediate steps to take following a vehicle incident, including ensuring personal safety, checking for injuries, and contacting emergency services. Pete provides a thorough breakdown of actions that should be followed depending on the severity of the accident, emphasizing the importance of documenting the scene, exchanging information, and being mindful of legal obligations. Listeners are guided on how to handle interactions with law enforcement and insurance companies, highlighting the sensitivity required in these situations. The narrative urges managers and company owners to develop clear communication strategies for their teams, reinforcing that proper training and preparedness can significantly mitigate the aftermath of a vehicle-related incident. Overall, Pete’s insights serve as a crucial reminder of the responsibilities that come with vehicle use in a professional setting, advocating for proactive measures to ensure safety and compliance.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:16):
Hello and welcome to get Flushto the world's favorite sanitation
podcast.
I'm Pete.
Way back in March last year, Ireleased the first episode in a series
about using vehicles safely at work.
I followed up with asubsequent episode about managing
driver behavior in July andanother about vehicle checks in August.
Life sort of got in the wayafter that, and I wasn't able to
(00:37):
finish off that series as planned.
I got my mojo back duringDecember with my series of daily
shorts, and that has given methe momentum to pick up the script
and come back to this episode,which is all about what to do if
you or your staff are involvedin a motor vehicle related accident
while driving for work.
In the United States, motorvehicle crashes are the leading cause
(00:57):
of work related deaths.
Between 2011 and 2020, morethan 17,000 workers died in work
related vehicle crashes, andin 2019 alone, work related crashes
cost us employers $39 billion.
A study conducted by HighwaysEngland and Roadsafe in the UK found
that 520 people died as aresult of collisions involving somebody
(01:21):
who was driving or riding for work.
In 2018, those deathsaccounted for one third of all road
fatalities in the UK.
In the year of the study herein New Zealand, Worksafe, our health
and safety agency, recorded 40deaths and over 1100 injuries that
led to workers being away fromwork for a week or more as a result
of vehicle related incidentsduring 2019.
(01:43):
With statistics like that,road safety is one of the largest
risks that you or your companywill face during working hours.
And for that reason alone, I'mgoing to talk about what you should
and could do as a drivermanager or company owner.
If you or your staff areinvolved in a motor vehicle incident
while driving on company business.
I'm specifically talking aboutthe immediate actions at the scene
(02:04):
and the steps involved inclearing the road and recovering
the vehicle.
What steps should you take tomake sure that everyone is safe?
What do you need to do to makesure that medical and rescue help
arrives, and what informationshould you gather from everybody
involved?
I'll stress that this is verymuch about the immediate response,
how to react and behave, andthe things to do at the scene in
the immediate aftermath of an incident.
(02:26):
In the next episode, I'll talkabout the post incident procedures
that you may need to considerif and when you have to deal with
the police, casualties, familyand next of kin, your insurers, repairers,
the press, or anyone else thatmay be affected if the incident results
in significant damage, injuryor fatalities.
Before I go any further, Iwant to discuss the language and
(02:47):
terminology that's used byofficial bodies the police, insurers
and health or safetyauthorities will when they talk about
vehicle related incidents.
Over the past two decades,there's been a distinct change in
the words and phrases used inthis space.
If you google it, you'll findliterally thousands of academic and
legal articles, blog posts andwebsite pages from law enforcement
agencies, governmentdepartments, medical authorities,
(03:10):
law firms and othercommentators about the language that
is used to describe collisionsinvolving motor vehicles.
One of the earliest referencesyou'll find comes from the US National
Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration in 1997, who published
the following the concept ofaccident works against bringing all
the appropriate resources tobear on the enormous problem of motor
(03:31):
vehicle collisions.
Continuous use of accidentfosters the idea that the resulting
injuries are an avoidable partof life.
The word accident will nolonger be used in materials published
or distributed by the agency.
In addition, we'll no longeruse accidents in speeches or other
public remarks incommunications with the news media,
individuals or groups in thepublic or private sector.
(03:54):
In 2007, the Crown ProsecutionService in the UK published a prosecuting
bad drivers policy that statedthat we recognise the distress that
can be caused to victims andtheir families when cases of bad
driving are referred to as accident.
We will not use this term.
We will use the term collisionto refer to all bad driving cases
that involve death or serious injury.
(04:16):
The sworn police officers thatI know in the US, New Zealand and
UK have all told me that thelanguage used in their communities
started to change around theearly two thousands.
They were instructed to stopusing the phrase road traffic accident
and use the term motor vehiclecollision instead.
The language used by legalauthorities and other agencies reflects
their need to show impartiality.
(04:38):
I absolutely understand that.
But I also think that mostpeople know what you mean if you
say there's been an accidentor a crash, and they're the terms
that I'll continue to use today.
So what exactly are the thingsyou and your staff should do if they
have an accident while drivingone of your company vehicles?
Well, the first thing they'llsay is that it all depends on the
severity of the crash.
(04:59):
I'll start with a low speed,low impact nudge where nobody other
than your driver's involved,where there isn't any damage, or
where the damage is really minor.
An example might include adriver scrapes a bumper, clips a
wing mirror or reverses into a fence.
Those types of incidents aretypically caused by inexperience,
inattention or misjudgment.
They happen because the driverperhaps isn't familiar with the vehicle,
(05:21):
or they're tired or they'rethinking about something else and
just not paying attention.
With those low level bumps andshunts where the damage is really
minor or just cosmetic, Iabsolutely encourage drivers to be
open and tell me what has happened.
The best manager I ever hadused to say, if I know about it,
we can fix it.
Everyone in the team knew thatthey could be honest without having
(05:42):
to worry that the boss wouldgo off the deep end, scream and shout
or embarrass and humiliate them.
That's not to say he'd let youget away with it, far from it.
But his attitude allowed us tobe open and to take responsibility
for what we had done.
Sure, you might end up buyinga box of doughnuts or a case of beer
for the team, but you wouldn'tbe publicly flayed for messing up.
In that sort of low levelnudge, it's tempting to drive away
(06:04):
and hope that nobody noticed.
If nothing else, it'sembarrassing, right?
But that's really not what youwant staff to do.
Instead, make sure they knowto note down the place, date, time,
and take photos, even if verylittle or no damage has occurred.
Above all, tell them to letthe office or manager know.
If not, then, then definitelybefore the end of the day.
You don't want them tointerrupt you at every drop and call,
(06:26):
but the company needs to havea formal record of what's happened.
On that note, most health andsafety legislation around the world
requires businesses to recordnear misses.
They are defined as incidentsthat happen but don't lead to any
injury, damage or harm.
In my experience, very feworganizations record many, if any,
near misses.
It's a cultural thing.
People think, oh, it couldhave been worse.
(06:47):
It wasn't.
Let's move on.
But it's really important tohave that register, because these
things happen on a constant basis.
And if you've got asparklingly squeaky clean health
and safety record with no nearmisses, you're inviting a full depth
audit.
The next type of accidents Iwant to discuss are those that result
in more significant damage tothe vehicle or other vehicles or
(07:08):
other property, and thosewhere injury occurs, either to the
driver or passengers in anyvehicle, or to other road users and
pedestrians.
Now, in many jurisdictions,the police will not routinely attend
accidents unless somebody hasbeen injured.
It doesn't matter who or wherethat person is.
If someone's injured as aresult of a motor vehicle on the
road, the police willtypically attend a.
(07:30):
If an ambulance is dispatched,that usually triggers a police response
as well.
Fatal accidents will see avery systematic police response with
a road closure and a formalinvestigation at the scene to preserve
and record evidence.
But in the case of a shuntwith only damage occurring, it's
often down to you or yourdriver at the scene, regardless of
whether there is an injury.
(07:51):
The most important thing thatyou should do before anything else
is to make sure that youprotect yourself from any further
danger or harm.
Potential sources of harmcould include fuel leaks from the
vehicles involved in thecrash, danger from other road users,
particularly moving vehicles,and any secondary risks such as power
lines, gas mains, or anydangerous goods that have been carried
(08:12):
on board the vehicles involved.
If you're in a vehicle that'sinvolved in a crash, you should always
check yourself and otherpeople in the vehicle for injuries.
Pat yourself down, check thatyou're okay, and talk to the other
people in the vehicle.
Ask if they're okay.
This, of course, presumes thatyou are conscious and aware what's
happened.
If it's a serious crash andyou've been hurt or knocked out,
or if you're trapped or reallydon't know where you are, you're
(08:34):
in the hands of the otherpeople on the scene.
That's not a nice place to be,and you'll most likely go into shock
if you are conscious and ableto move.
The most important thing is toprotect yourself from any further
harm.
If you're the driver, turn offthe engine.
Don't immediately get out ofthe vehicle.
Check your surroundings.
Is it safe to do so?
If you're a witness, don'trush towards the accident until you
(08:56):
make sure that you arepersonally safe.
Check for immediate dangerbefore you get out of your vehicle.
Stop other traffic and useyour vehicle or ask other drivers
to use their cars to protectthe scene.
Once you've established thatit's safe to approach the accident,
you should be checking forfuel leaks, cargo leaks, and to make
sure that the scene isabsolutely still.
(09:17):
If you can turn off theengines to reduce the risk of fire
and stop the vehicles movingagain, then we check for casualties
and then we call the emergencyservices or ask somebody else to
call the emergency services.
But if you rely on otherpeople, don't assume they'll do as
you ask.
Get them to come and tell youwhen they've made the call.
The reason we do things inthis order is to make sure that we're
(09:38):
safe and that we have theright information to give the call
handler once we get in touchwith the emergency services.
In previous years, I wouldhave said make sure that you know
where you are before you makethe call, but with modern technology,
it's more than likely that thecall centre will know where you are
as soon as they answer your call.
If there are any injuries, youmay need to administer first aid,
or at least comfort theinjured people until the emergency
(10:00):
services arrive on scene.
You should already have afirst aid kit in your trucks for
work, but make sure thatthey're up to date and are well stocked.
There's nothing worse thanopening a first aid kit and finding
out that there's actuallynothing useful in it.
Dealing with injuries at firsthand can be really distressing, and
it's often way beyond thenormal scope of our everyday experiences.
(10:21):
It's difficult to know howyou're going to react personally
until you find yourself inthat situation.
Be prepared for that.
Talk about these things inyour pre start meetings and be aware
that you could go into shockeven if you haven't been physically
injured.
If there are casualties, theyshould always be your main priority.
As the emergency servicesarrive, they may ask you for an update
on their condition or anytreatment they've been given.
(10:43):
If you administered first aid,that's especially important if the
casualty is unconscious or in shock.
Once the medical services havetaken over the care of the casualties,
or if the accident is damagedonly with no injuries, it's time
to start thinking aboutrecording any evidence before the
vehicles are removed or peoplestart to clear the scene.
You should always do this.
Even if you were driving theonly vehicle involved and it was
(11:05):
a damage only accident.
The information you gather nowwill be really helpful if you need
to lodge an insurance claim orif a counterclaim is lodged against
you or your company.
The law in most countriesrequires drivers involved in an accident
to do a number of things.
These typically includestopping at the scene, exchanging
their name, address,registration, insurance details with
the other drivers, or withanyone else who suffered injury or
(11:27):
property damage.
It's always a good idea to getthe names and contact details of
any potential witnesses.
Some jurisdictions require youto move the vehicle to a safe place
at the side of the road, butclose to the accident as soon as
possible.
Unless, of course, theaccident involves the transportation
of hazardous materials orresults in injury, death or entrapment.
But if you or anyone else doesmove the vehicles, take as many photos
(11:49):
of the scene as possiblebefore that happens.
If the police are involved,they'll tell you when you can leave
and they will often call a towtruck if the vehicle can't be driven
or is unsafe to drive.
But remember, if it's yourvehicle, you'll likely have to pay
for that service yourself orgo through your insurer.
And if you were driving thevehicle involved in the crash, they'll
probably want to test you foralcohol or drugs too.
(12:09):
Don't be surprised by that,it's part of the routine.
In fact, many companies thesedays have a strict policy to test
any drivers involved inworkplace accidents for drugs or
alcohol as part of their postincident procedures.
In some cases, the police mayalso want to ask you questions about
what happened while you'restill at the scene of the accident.
Now, I'm not a lawyer, so I'mnot going to tell you to do anything
(12:32):
except to make sure you meetthe legal obligations in the country
or state where the accident occurred.
However, I will say thatwhether you answer questions from
a police officer at the scenereally depends on the particular
situation.
If the other driver is clearlyat fault and you haven't committed
any traffic offences, then itcan often help to share your side
of the story.
If you do, be very careful,stick to the facts and don't speculate
(12:54):
about anything you didn'tactually see for yourself.
If you're not sure whathappened, there's always a risk that
you could be legallyresponsible for the accident and
could be prosecuted fortraffic offences.
In that case, it's reallyimportant to avoid saying the wrong
thing or incriminating yourself.
If you're the least bituncertain about what happened, play
it safe.
Politely decline to answer anyquestions until you've had some legal
(13:16):
advice.
If you read through yourinsurance policy, you'll often find
that it says things like don'tapologise and don't admit liability
at the scene, even if youthink you're at fault.
That's good advice.
It's also good advice to writedown as much as you can remember
as soon as possible after the event.
More things will come back toyou at a later stage, but it's always
(13:36):
a good idea to write thingsdown as soon as you possibly can.
Think about the time and date,the exact location.
Look for the road name or anylandmarks, the weather conditions,
the road conditions and theamount of traffic.
Note down the position of thevehicles immediately before the accident,
who was travelling in whichdirections and what happened when
the accident occurred.
(13:56):
Try to note the speed limit onthe road and whether or not you were
travelling faster, slower orat the same speed as the other vehicles
in the flow of traffic.
If you can make a drawing, itdoesn't have to be an artistic masterpiece,
just enough to convey whathappened to your insurers.
It's also worth rememberingthat pretty much everything that
happens on the road these daysis likely to be filmed either by
CCTV, in the street or inprivate houses and businesses, by
(14:19):
anybody with a dash cam or bypassersby that happen to have a mobile
phone.
Not only can that footage helpyou to identify what happened and
who was at fault, but it couldalso trip you up.
If it's posted on social mediaand it shows that you or your driver
behaved in anything less thana professional way, it's worth reminding
your drivers about that duringyour pre start meetings.
Cameras are everywhere, andwhile it's very tempting to share
(14:42):
footage of incidents on socialmedia, it's worth noting that the
police and insurance companiesdo watch for that.
While you think you're in theclear, the authorities may take a
different view.
That's the reason why somecompanies have a very strict social
media policy that restrictswho's allowed to post what online
when company vehicles areshown in the footage.
That's also a good point totalk about the media.
(15:02):
If a vehicle from your companyis involved in an accident, you may
get inquiries from the pressasking what happened.
Rather than ignore thoserequests or make a no comment response,
it's better to stick to thefacts and say something positive.
Statements that workparticularly well include we don't
know what happened, but we'reworking with the authorities to find
out.
Fortunately, the driver wasn'tinjured, or fortunately the injuries
(15:23):
were a minor or we're gratefulto the emergency services who help
to clear the road as quicklyas possible.
Comments like that won't havea detrimental effect, whereas saying
no comment always makes itsound as if you've got something
to hide.
Although I've covered a lot ofground today, there are bound to
be some areas that I've missedor ignored.
This episode is not meant aslegal advice, but to help you reflect
(15:44):
on the policies and procedureswithin your company and help you
discuss this topic with themembers of your team.
Please have thoseconversations now.
Don't leave it until somethingterrible happens on the road.
I'll be back soon with thefinal part of this series where I'll
talk about dealing with formalagencies such as the police, insurers
and the health and safetyauthorities in the aftermath of any
more serious or notifiable accidents.
(16:05):
In the meantime, if you haveany questions or feedback, please
email Peteflush dot onlinethanks for your time.
I've been Pete and you've beenlistening to get flush, the world's
favourite sanitation podcast.
Hello and welcome to get Flushto the world's favorite sanitation
podcast.
I'm Pete.
Way back in March last year, Ireleased the first episode in a series
about using vehicles safely at work.
I followed up with asubsequent episode about managing
driver behavior in July andanother about vehicle checks in August.
Life sort of got in the wayafter that, and I wasn't able to
(00:37):
finish off that series as planned.
I got my mojo back duringDecember with my series of daily
shorts, and that has given methe momentum to pick up the script
and come back to this episode,which is all about what to do if
you or your staff are involvedin a motor vehicle related accident
while driving for work.
In the United States, motorvehicle crashes are the leading cause
(00:57):
of work related deaths.
Between 2011 and 2020, morethan 17,000 workers died in work
related vehicle crashes, andin 2019 alone, work related crashes
cost us employers $39 billion.
A study conducted by HighwaysEngland and Roadsafe in the UK found
that 520 people died as aresult of collisions involving somebody
(01:21):
who was driving or riding for work.
In 2018, those deathsaccounted for one third of all road
fatalities in the UK.
In the year of the study herein New Zealand, Worksafe, our health
and safety agency, recorded 40deaths and over 1100 injuries that
led to workers being away fromwork for a week or more as a result
of vehicle related incidentsduring 2019.
(01:43):
With statistics like that,road safety is one of the largest
risks that you or your companywill face during working hours.
And for that reason alone, I'mgoing to talk about what you should
and could do as a drivermanager or company owner.
If you or your staff areinvolved in a motor vehicle incident
while driving on company business.
I'm specifically talking aboutthe immediate actions at the scene
(02:04):
and the steps involved inclearing the road and recovering
the vehicle.
What steps should you take tomake sure that everyone is safe?
What do you need to do to makesure that medical and rescue help
arrives, and what informationshould you gather from everybody
involved?
I'll stress that this is verymuch about the immediate response,
how to react and behave, andthe things to do at the scene in
the immediate aftermath of an incident.
(02:26):
In the next episode, I'll talkabout the post incident procedures
that you may need to considerif and when you have to deal with
the police, casualties, familyand next of kin, your insurers, repairers,
the press, or anyone else thatmay be affected if the incident results
in significant damage, injuryor fatalities.
Before I go any further, Iwant to discuss the language and
(02:47):
terminology that's used byofficial bodies the police, insurers
and health or safetyauthorities will when they talk about
vehicle related incidents.
Over the past two decades,there's been a distinct change in
the words and phrases used inthis space.
If you google it, you'll findliterally thousands of academic and
legal articles, blog posts andwebsite pages from law enforcement
agencies, governmentdepartments, medical authorities,
(03:10):
law firms and othercommentators about the language that
is used to describe collisionsinvolving motor vehicles.
One of the earliest referencesyou'll find comes from the US National
Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration in 1997, who published
the following the concept ofaccident works against bringing all
the appropriate resources tobear on the enormous problem of motor
(03:31):
vehicle collisions.
Continuous use of accidentfosters the idea that the resulting
injuries are an avoidable partof life.
The word accident will nolonger be used in materials published
or distributed by the agency.
In addition, we'll no longeruse accidents in speeches or other
public remarks incommunications with the news media,
individuals or groups in thepublic or private sector.
(03:54):
In 2007, the Crown ProsecutionService in the UK published a prosecuting
bad drivers policy that statedthat we recognise the distress that
can be caused to victims andtheir families when cases of bad
driving are referred to as accident.
We will not use this term.
We will use the term collisionto refer to all bad driving cases
that involve death or serious injury.
(04:16):
The sworn police officers thatI know in the US, New Zealand and
UK have all told me that thelanguage used in their communities
started to change around theearly two thousands.
They were instructed to stopusing the phrase road traffic accident
and use the term motor vehiclecollision instead.
The language used by legalauthorities and other agencies reflects
their need to show impartiality.
(04:38):
I absolutely understand that.
But I also think that mostpeople know what you mean if you
say there's been an accidentor a crash, and they're the terms
that I'll continue to use today.
So what exactly are the thingsyou and your staff should do if they
have an accident while drivingone of your company vehicles?
Well, the first thing they'llsay is that it all depends on the
severity of the crash.
(04:59):
I'll start with a low speed,low impact nudge where nobody other
than your driver's involved,where there isn't any damage, or
where the damage is really minor.
An example might include adriver scrapes a bumper, clips a
wing mirror or reverses into a fence.
Those types of incidents aretypically caused by inexperience,
inattention or misjudgment.
They happen because the driverperhaps isn't familiar with the vehicle,
(05:21):
or they're tired or they'rethinking about something else and
just not paying attention.
With those low level bumps andshunts where the damage is really
minor or just cosmetic, Iabsolutely encourage drivers to be
open and tell me what has happened.
The best manager I ever hadused to say, if I know about it,
we can fix it.
Everyone in the team knew thatthey could be honest without having
(05:42):
to worry that the boss wouldgo off the deep end, scream and shout
or embarrass and humiliate them.
That's not to say he'd let youget away with it, far from it.
But his attitude allowed us tobe open and to take responsibility
for what we had done.
Sure, you might end up buyinga box of doughnuts or a case of beer
for the team, but you wouldn'tbe publicly flayed for messing up.
In that sort of low levelnudge, it's tempting to drive away
(06:04):
and hope that nobody noticed.
If nothing else, it'sembarrassing, right?
But that's really not what youwant staff to do.
Instead, make sure they knowto note down the place, date, time,
and take photos, even if verylittle or no damage has occurred.
Above all, tell them to letthe office or manager know.
If not, then, then definitelybefore the end of the day.
You don't want them tointerrupt you at every drop and call,
(06:26):
but the company needs to havea formal record of what's happened.
On that note, most health andsafety legislation around the world
requires businesses to recordnear misses.
They are defined as incidentsthat happen but don't lead to any
injury, damage or harm.
In my experience, very feworganizations record many, if any,
near misses.
It's a cultural thing.
People think, oh, it couldhave been worse.
(06:47):
It wasn't.
Let's move on.
But it's really important tohave that register, because these
things happen on a constant basis.
And if you've got asparklingly squeaky clean health
and safety record with no nearmisses, you're inviting a full depth
audit.
The next type of accidents Iwant to discuss are those that result
in more significant damage tothe vehicle or other vehicles or
(07:08):
other property, and thosewhere injury occurs, either to the
driver or passengers in anyvehicle, or to other road users and
pedestrians.
Now, in many jurisdictions,the police will not routinely attend
accidents unless somebody hasbeen injured.
It doesn't matter who or wherethat person is.
If someone's injured as aresult of a motor vehicle on the
road, the police willtypically attend a.
(07:30):
If an ambulance is dispatched,that usually triggers a police response
as well.
Fatal accidents will see avery systematic police response with
a road closure and a formalinvestigation at the scene to preserve
and record evidence.
But in the case of a shuntwith only damage occurring, it's
often down to you or yourdriver at the scene, regardless of
whether there is an injury.
(07:51):
The most important thing thatyou should do before anything else
is to make sure that youprotect yourself from any further
danger or harm.
Potential sources of harmcould include fuel leaks from the
vehicles involved in thecrash, danger from other road users,
particularly moving vehicles,and any secondary risks such as power
lines, gas mains, or anydangerous goods that have been carried
(08:12):
on board the vehicles involved.
If you're in a vehicle that'sinvolved in a crash, you should always
check yourself and otherpeople in the vehicle for injuries.
Pat yourself down, check thatyou're okay, and talk to the other
people in the vehicle.
Ask if they're okay.
This, of course, presumes thatyou are conscious and aware what's
happened.
If it's a serious crash andyou've been hurt or knocked out,
or if you're trapped or reallydon't know where you are, you're
(08:34):
in the hands of the otherpeople on the scene.
That's not a nice place to be,and you'll most likely go into shock
if you are conscious and ableto move.
The most important thing is toprotect yourself from any further
harm.
If you're the driver, turn offthe engine.
Don't immediately get out ofthe vehicle.
Check your surroundings.
Is it safe to do so?
If you're a witness, don'trush towards the accident until you
(08:56):
make sure that you arepersonally safe.
Check for immediate dangerbefore you get out of your vehicle.
Stop other traffic and useyour vehicle or ask other drivers
to use their cars to protectthe scene.
Once you've established thatit's safe to approach the accident,
you should be checking forfuel leaks, cargo leaks, and to make
sure that the scene isabsolutely still.
(09:17):
If you can turn off theengines to reduce the risk of fire
and stop the vehicles movingagain, then we check for casualties
and then we call the emergencyservices or ask somebody else to
call the emergency services.
But if you rely on otherpeople, don't assume they'll do as
you ask.
Get them to come and tell youwhen they've made the call.
The reason we do things inthis order is to make sure that we're
(09:38):
safe and that we have theright information to give the call
handler once we get in touchwith the emergency services.
In previous years, I wouldhave said make sure that you know
where you are before you makethe call, but with modern technology,
it's more than likely that thecall centre will know where you are
as soon as they answer your call.
If there are any injuries, youmay need to administer first aid,
or at least comfort theinjured people until the emergency
(10:00):
services arrive on scene.
You should already have afirst aid kit in your trucks for
work, but make sure thatthey're up to date and are well stocked.
There's nothing worse thanopening a first aid kit and finding
out that there's actuallynothing useful in it.
Dealing with injuries at firsthand can be really distressing, and
it's often way beyond thenormal scope of our everyday experiences.
(10:21):
It's difficult to know howyou're going to react personally
until you find yourself inthat situation.
Be prepared for that.
Talk about these things inyour pre start meetings and be aware
that you could go into shockeven if you haven't been physically
injured.
If there are casualties, theyshould always be your main priority.
As the emergency servicesarrive, they may ask you for an update
on their condition or anytreatment they've been given.
(10:43):
If you administered first aid,that's especially important if the
casualty is unconscious or in shock.
Once the medical services havetaken over the care of the casualties,
or if the accident is damagedonly with no injuries, it's time
to start thinking aboutrecording any evidence before the
vehicles are removed or peoplestart to clear the scene.
You should always do this.
Even if you were driving theonly vehicle involved and it was
(11:05):
a damage only accident.
The information you gather nowwill be really helpful if you need
to lodge an insurance claim orif a counterclaim is lodged against
you or your company.
The law in most countriesrequires drivers involved in an accident
to do a number of things.
These typically includestopping at the scene, exchanging
their name, address,registration, insurance details with
the other drivers, or withanyone else who suffered injury or
(11:27):
property damage.
It's always a good idea to getthe names and contact details of
any potential witnesses.
Some jurisdictions require youto move the vehicle to a safe place
at the side of the road, butclose to the accident as soon as
possible.
Unless, of course, theaccident involves the transportation
of hazardous materials orresults in injury, death or entrapment.
But if you or anyone else doesmove the vehicles, take as many photos
(11:49):
of the scene as possiblebefore that happens.
If the police are involved,they'll tell you when you can leave
and they will often call a towtruck if the vehicle can't be driven
or is unsafe to drive.
But remember, if it's yourvehicle, you'll likely have to pay
for that service yourself orgo through your insurer.
And if you were driving thevehicle involved in the crash, they'll
probably want to test you foralcohol or drugs too.
(12:09):
Don't be surprised by that,it's part of the routine.
In fact, many companies thesedays have a strict policy to test
any drivers involved inworkplace accidents for drugs or
alcohol as part of their postincident procedures.
In some cases, the police mayalso want to ask you questions about
what happened while you'restill at the scene of the accident.
Now, I'm not a lawyer, so I'mnot going to tell you to do anything
(12:32):
except to make sure you meetthe legal obligations in the country
or state where the accident occurred.
However, I will say thatwhether you answer questions from
a police officer at the scenereally depends on the particular
situation.
If the other driver is clearlyat fault and you haven't committed
any traffic offences, then itcan often help to share your side
of the story.
If you do, be very careful,stick to the facts and don't speculate
(12:54):
about anything you didn'tactually see for yourself.
If you're not sure whathappened, there's always a risk that
you could be legallyresponsible for the accident and
could be prosecuted fortraffic offences.
In that case, it's reallyimportant to avoid saying the wrong
thing or incriminating yourself.
If you're the least bituncertain about what happened, play
it safe.
Politely decline to answer anyquestions until you've had some legal
(13:16):
advice.
If you read through yourinsurance policy, you'll often find
that it says things like don'tapologise and don't admit liability
at the scene, even if youthink you're at fault.
That's good advice.
It's also good advice to writedown as much as you can remember
as soon as possible after the event.
More things will come back toyou at a later stage, but it's always
(13:36):
a good idea to write thingsdown as soon as you possibly can.
Think about the time and date,the exact location.
Look for the road name or anylandmarks, the weather conditions,
the road conditions and theamount of traffic.
Note down the position of thevehicles immediately before the accident,
who was travelling in whichdirections and what happened when
the accident occurred.
(13:56):
Try to note the speed limit onthe road and whether or not you were
travelling faster, slower orat the same speed as the other vehicles
in the flow of traffic.
If you can make a drawing, itdoesn't have to be an artistic masterpiece,
just enough to convey whathappened to your insurers.
It's also worth rememberingthat pretty much everything that
happens on the road these daysis likely to be filmed either by
CCTV, in the street or inprivate houses and businesses, by
(14:19):
anybody with a dash cam or bypassersby that happen to have a mobile
phone.
Not only can that footage helpyou to identify what happened and
who was at fault, but it couldalso trip you up.
If it's posted on social mediaand it shows that you or your driver
behaved in anything less thana professional way, it's worth reminding
your drivers about that duringyour pre start meetings.
Cameras are everywhere, andwhile it's very tempting to share
(14:42):
footage of incidents on socialmedia, it's worth noting that the
police and insurance companiesdo watch for that.
While you think you're in theclear, the authorities may take a
different view.
That's the reason why somecompanies have a very strict social
media policy that restrictswho's allowed to post what online
when company vehicles areshown in the footage.
That's also a good point totalk about the media.
(15:02):
If a vehicle from your companyis involved in an accident, you may
get inquiries from the pressasking what happened.
Rather than ignore thoserequests or make a no comment response,
it's better to stick to thefacts and say something positive.
Statements that workparticularly well include we don't
know what happened, but we'reworking with the authorities to find
out.
Fortunately, the driver wasn'tinjured, or fortunately the injuries
(15:23):
were a minor or we're gratefulto the emergency services who help
to clear the road as quicklyas possible.
Comments like that won't havea detrimental effect, whereas saying
no comment always makes itsound as if you've got something
to hide.
Although I've covered a lot ofground today, there are bound to
be some areas that I've missedor ignored.
This episode is not meant aslegal advice, but to help you reflect
(15:44):
on the policies and procedureswithin your company and help you
discuss this topic with themembers of your team.
Please have thoseconversations now.
Don't leave it until somethingterrible happens on the road.
I'll be back soon with thefinal part of this series where I'll
talk about dealing with formalagencies such as the police, insurers
and the health and safetyauthorities in the aftermath of any
more serious or notifiable accidents.
(16:05):
In the meantime, if you haveany questions or feedback, please
email Peteflush dot onlinethanks for your time.
I've been Pete and you've beenlistening to get flush, the world's
favourite sanitation podcast.
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