Case study: Bok Seng Logistics Pte Ltd
Vocational drivers spend most of their working hours on the road; hence road safety is most critical to their livelihood and wellbeing. However, behavioural factors (e.g. impatience, recklessness) and external pressures (e.g. tight delivery schedules) can lead them to drive dangerously, putting themselves and other road users at risk.
Companies have a part to play in influencing the conduct and safety of their drivers. The cost of an accident goes beyond vehicle damage. It can also lead to loss of an employee, endanger the public and affect the company’s reputation. Hence, it is to the company’s benefit that their employees drive and deliver the goods and services safely to their customers, and at the end of the day, return home safely to their families.
Committed to keeping their drivers safe on the road, Bok Seng Logistics Pte Ltd adopts a three-pronged approach. Firstly, the company places great emphasis on education and training to ensure that their drivers are competent and constantly reminded to perform their job safely. Secondly, they leverage on technology to anticipate potential risks on the road and rectify bad driving behaviour. Lastly, they believe that recognition should be given to ensure that their drivers would be motivated to drive safely at all times.
Education
Bok Seng understands that education is essential for instilling safe work habits in their drivers. New drivers would be required to undergo in-house trainings on safety induction, driving behaviour and proper cargo lashing. Non-driving staff are trained on the dangers of heavy vehicles since they would also work around the vehicles. In the picture below, they are taught on the various blind spots of a heavy vehicle.
Safety events are held yearly to constantly remind the staff on the importance of working safely. One example is the biennial Traffic Safety Exhibition, organised in collaboration with the Singapore Police Force, which aims to heighten the drivers’ traffic safety awareness.
Technology
Bok Seng has adopted technology in their fleet management. They have installed a smart camera that functions like an additional eye, providing alerts on potential hazards on the road. This affords drivers with more time to react to potentially dangerous situations, giving them a better chance to avoid a collision or at least mitigate the impact. The system is also able to provide feedback to the drivers, bringing poor driving habits to their attention (such as speeding) and encouraging immediate correction.
The system is simple and intuitive, allowing drivers to be eased into the technology without having to undergo additional training. Since integrating this technology into their vehicle fleet, they have observed improvements in incident rates. This translates directly into better safety performance and reduced insurance premiums for the company.
Company culture
Bok Seng believes that they are able to better serve their customers by building a strong safety culture within their company. In their effort to build and sustain a safety-centric culture, annual appreciation awards are given out to drivers with commendable safety records (i.e. zero accidents for the past year).
Since the company has taken on the above approaches, the number of traffic related accidents has dropped; employees’ morale and customers’ satisfaction have gotten better. To Bok Seng, safety is indeed good business!
The Singapore Workplace Safety and Health Conference 2016
To help companies improve road safety standards, industry experts and business leaders will discuss best practices and procedures to prevent work-related traffic accidents in one of the key symposiums at The Singapore Workplace Safety and Health Conference, held from 24–25 August 2016 at Suntec Singapore. For more information, please visit www.singaporewshconference.sg.