The Safety Blog - I am Wright.com

There are many events that can trigger driver turnover. In this article we will explore some of the more common reasons drivers leave the carrier, in other words what triggers turnover.

Drivers Quit Supervisors, Not Companies

Companies are not fuzzy entities to a driver. Companies are groups of people that the driver has to deal with. If the driver is having trouble with one of the people he or she is working with, they can create a problem. The driver will transfer a pour situation with one supervisor to the entire company. If the driver ever complains of relationship problems, deal with them try not to deal with them by telling the driver to “get over it”.

You Do Not Appreciate Me

If the only attention driver kit sees when they make a mistake, complain, or threat to quit, do not be surprised if you have a lot of drivers threatened to quit. Appreciation programs, including everything from programs as large and complicated as a longevity awards program to something as simple as requiring dispatchers to say simple thank you for a job well done, is which shows drivers that they are appreciated. There is a reason some people refer to appreciation programs as retention programs.

You Never Listen To Me

Many drivers to not have much to say about the operation, but when they do they expect to be listened to. They believe that they are the ones doing the “real work” and know what is going on. If the drivers come in with customer complaints or general suggestions, hear them out. If the complaint or suggestion is acted on be sure to recognize a driver that brought in that the complaint or suggestion.

He Lied To Me

Truth and recruiting and operations goes a long way torch retention. The opposite is also true. A lack of truth can lead to significant turnover. One important point to remember; you may not consider something a lie, but the drivers may.

I’m Losing Money

If something is going on that is keeping the driver from maximizing his or her income, the driver is likely to believe he or she is losing money. Truck breakdowns, dealing poorly with odd home time requests, and waiting for load scan all create situations where the driver believes here she is losing money.

You Make It Hard To Work Here

By placing on requests on the drivers, having policies that seem to make no sense, and implementing some changes you may be making that the company hard place to work for.

Equipment

Drivers make their living with a machine. If the machine is not performing well the driver will not be happy. If the machine is continually not performing well the driver is likely to go elsewhere.

Slow Burn

In many cases the drivers quitting comes well after the triggering event. The triggering event or events started the driver thinking about going elsewhere. Once the driver was triggered many other little offense that normally would have been insignificant were all seen by the driver as proof that here she needed to leave.

Technorati Tags: leadership, Safety Culture, Turnover

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The standard requires the employer to provide support systems such as shoring, bracing, or underpinning to ensure the stability of adjacent structures such as buildings, wells, sidewalks or pavements.

The standard prohibits excavation below the level of the base or footing of any foundation or retaining wall unless: (1) a support system such as underpinning is provided, (2) the excavation is in stable rock, or (3) a registered professional engineer determines that the structure is sufficiently removed from the excavation and that excavation will not pose a hazard to employees.

Excavations under sidewalks and pavements are also prohibited unless an appropriately designed support system is provided or another effective method is used.

In addition, the standard permits excavation of two feet or less below the bottom of the members of a support or shield system of a trench if: (1) the system is designed to resist the forces calculated for the full depth of the trench, and (2) there are not indications, while the trench is open, of a possible cave–in below the bottom of the support system. Also, the installation of support systems must be closely coordinated with the excavation of trenches. As soon as work is completed, the excavation should be backfilled as the protective system is dismantled. After the excavation has been cleared, workers should slowly remove the protective system from the bottom up, taking care to release members slowly.

In addition to cave–ins, there are other hazards from which workers must be protected during excavation–related work. These hazards include exposure to falls, falling loads, and mobile equipment. To protect employees from these hazards, OSHA requires the employer to take the following precautions:

• Keep materials or equipment that might fall or roll into an excavation at least 3 feet from the edge of excavations, or have retaining devices, or both.
• Provide warning systems such as mobile equipment, barricades, hand or mechanical signals, or stop logs, to alert operators of the edge of an excavation. If possible, keep the grade away from the excavation.
• Provide scaling to remove loose rock or soil or install protective barricades and other equivalent protection to protect employees against falling rock, soil, or materials.
• Prohibit employees from working on faces of sloped or benched excavations at levels above other employees unless employees at lower levels are adequately protected from the hazard of falling, rolling, or sliding material or equipment.
• Prohibit employees under loads that are handled by lifting or digging equipment. To avoid being struck by any spillage or falling materials, require employees to stand away from vehicles being loaded or unloaded. If cabs of vehicles provide adequate protection from falling loads during loading and unloading operations, the operators may remain in them.

Technorati Tags: Excavation, Sloping, Trench Box

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MSHA continues to review emergency communications and tracking systems that represent the most promising technologies for application in underground mines. Both MSHA-approved Technologies and those under development will be evaluated. Information on these systems will be provided as it is gathered. MSHA has begun to receive a significant number of approval requests for a new generation of communications and tracking technology. Resources have been gradually shifted from exploring the availability of new technologies to focusing on evaluation and testing activities for issuance of MSHA approval.
In response to the Sago Mine disaster, to date MSHA has received numerous proposals from manufacturers and distributors of emergency communication and tracking systems. Additional proposals continue to be received. Our Technical Support Directorate is reviewing these products and proposals and assisting interested manufacturers in obtaining MSHA approval. We have also been working with the NIOSH Communication and Tracking Partnership to assist interested parties in arranging field tests of their systems to facilitate development. MSHA wishes to thank NIOSH for their efforts in further development of these important technologies.
Manufacturers need to obtain the appropriate MSHA approvals for the systems to be used in the gassy areas of underground mines. We encourage all manufacturers of communication and tracking technologies to contact us.
Interested parties should contact David Chirdon at chirdon.david@dol.gov

Current Status

As of May 28, 2008, MSHA is processing 48 approval applications for communications and tracking technology. Since the beginning of 2006, we have issued 45 new or revised approvals for communications and tracking products. We have observed 49 tests or demonstrations of 29 different communications and/or tracking systems at various mine sites. We have met with representatives from 62 communications and tracking system companies. To date, we have had discussions with various vendors regarding 168 different proposals for development of mine communications and tracking systems. We recently initiated a program to evaluate new technology communication and tracking system performance after MSHA approval and system deployment.

MSHA-approved Technologies

• Listing of available MSHA Approved Communications and Tracking Products
• Description of MSHA Approved Communications and Tracking Technologies
  • Venture Design Services MineTracer Tracking System - Observed Performance

Public Meeting Held on Communications and Tracking Technologies

• Request for Information - Underground Communications and Tracking of Underground Miners.
• Listing of Comments
• A transcript of the meeting and presentations given at the meeting

Program Policy Letter

• P08-V-2 - Approval of Communication and Tracking Devices Required by the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 (MINER Act)

Underground Communications and Tracking System Tests at
CONSOL Energy, Inc., McElroy Mine

• Full Report
• Summary

Technorati Tags: Communication, MSHA, news, Tracking

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• Keep tires properly inflated, rotated and replaced. Proper tire inflation increases fuel economy by as much as 5%.
• Don’t Idle when stopped. 1 gallon of fuel is burned when an engine idles for approximately 1 hour at rest (900 RPM).
• Watch your speed. At speeds above 60 mph, the fuel loss is about 1% for every 2 mph increase in speed.
• Keep your car tuned. Proper tuning not only increases fuel economy by up to 10%, but it also reduces air pollution.
• Use your air conditioner wisely. Air conditioners can increase your fuel consumption by up to 12% in stop-and-go traffic.
• Unnecessary weight wastes fuel. Every 100 lbs (45 kg) of extra weight consumes 1% more fuel.

Technorati Tags: Fuel Saving Tip, Tire Inflation

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For just about every aliment you might have there most likely exists a medication to tackle the problem. You can simply head down to any grocery or drug store and find isles brimming with what is commonly termed over-the-counter relief. For more serious infirmities you can hit your doctor up for a prescription and gain access to the more potent fixes doled out by pharmacists.

But new insight is emerging from various studies on just how risky some of these drugs may be when incorporated with driving. Some of the findings have actually shown that many allergy medications we rely on each year to help us manage through a day are worse than alcohol.

At least after a few drinks you will feel the effects. With certain medications you may never even realize you are in any sort of peril or a threat on the road. Yet, motor skills are dulled and reaction times are distorted, even though you still you feel comparatively chipper. The next thing you know the world starts spinning, things get just a bit too blurry, and you wind up in an accident.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is in a lurch because the organization is not quite sure how to respond to the new studies. It already requires certain measures. Just look on the back of any box or bottle of medicine and you will see all sorts of warnings. Usually the information is listed right before the dosage directions. But how arbitrary is the phrase “may cause drowsiness.”

However, most companies are getting better at trying to advocate caution without instilling fear in a patient. So maybe the FDA will find the proper balance to make sure consumers are aware of what hazards a drug can possibly pose. After all, at the end of the day these companies still have remedies to peddle. Still, you will see a bit more detail instructing you to avoid alcohol, which will enhance the other side effects, and inform you to at least use extra caution when driving.

What to Watch For

The active ingredients in allergy medication are one of the major causes for concern. As a group they are referred to as antihistamines. There are a variety of types, with some of the most prevalent being:

• Diphenhydramine
• Chlorpheniramine
• Brompheniramine
• Clemastine
• Doxylamine

All of the popular brands (Clairton, Benadryl, Sudafed, etc.) use antihistamines. But the ingredient is not limited specifically to allergy medicine. You will find it in cough medicine, cold tablets, flu therapies, or just about any drug that “helps you rest.”

The rule of thumb is to simply use extra caution. If you are sick you hopefully will not be pounding alcohol, unless it is a hot toddy. But you may force yourself into work, which may mean getting behind the wheel. It does not take long to fall asleep, especially while being lulled in a moving vehicle, and trying to keep awake will take a Herculean effort in certain situations.

So if you feel yourself nodding out, pull off somewhere. It could save your life. If you experience any other symptoms that seem out of the ordinary consult a pharmacist or just call in sick and get some rest.

If you are having a prescription filled, make sure to discuss all of the possible side effects and get a “thumbs up” on driving, just to ease your mind. It is better to be safe than end up in a ditch somewhere groggy and disoriented from medication.

Take extra time to go over the fine print if you are taking any type of prescription drug to treat allergies, anxiety, high blood pressure, serious pain, depression, or cholesterol. These tend to pack quite a punch, especially if mixed with alcohol.

The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), one of the five Centers of the FDA, is an excellent resource for information about the safety of both over-the-counter and prescription medications in the United States.

Technorati Tags: Driving, Medication

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