Mt Maunganui company Tranzliquid Logistics takes a very active approach when it comes to health and safety.
Director Jackie Carroll was the winner of the Sime Darby health and safety award at November’s Road Transport Forum conference.
Carroll helps manage a fleet of 23 Kenworths and around 45 drivers who deliver bulk fuel throughout the country.
One of the biggest risk factors is other motorists, she says.
“A big issue is the volume of traffic on the road on a daily basis … you hear horror stories of other motorists taking risks and putting the transport operator in a bad situation.”
Teaching employees greater awareness around defensive driving is one way the company tackles the problem, she says.
“With the product we’re carting, you have to be very mindful of avoiding getting into bad situations at all times – a lot of that we call safety observation … looking for those hazards and risks and always scanning.”
Creating a supportive workplace culture is another critical factor in improving safety, Carroll says.
“Safety standards is the culture and behaviour of people you employ … you want them to have good attitudes and behaviour on the road.”
Tranzliquid puts all its employees through internal one-on-one driver training programmes. It also carries out peer assessments and in-cab evaluations with video footage that can be reviewed and self-critiqued.
“It’s a practice we’ve adopted, our team came up with the concept and it works very well. It’s not a blame and shame, just self-checking, provided you have the right culture.
“It’s not about sharing it in the team, it’s just individual.”
Encouraging staff to take responsibility is also a valuable part of managing driver fatigue, she says.
“A lot of it comes back to culture … our guys feel comfortable to say they’re not fit for work if they didn’t sleep well and are not made to feel ashamed of that.
“The dispatch team are fully aware of the roster and a workload that’s achievable and if the day goes pear-shaped due to delays, traffic or road closure we can adjust the workloads to compensate.”
