Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/141668
Play It Safe Maximize The Benefits From a Dealership Safety Committee An engaged team of employees can unlock best practices for the whole company. By Eric Stiles Most dealerships understand the importance of creating a safe work environment for their employees. Such an atmosphere improves morale, reduces total expenses, and can increase productivity at all staff levels. Dealership management's commitment to a safety culture within the organization is often stated in a charter that is posted at the dealership. This is the easy part of safety. To effectively build this safety culture requires resources and presents challenges. One of the ways that Sentry Insurance has seen dealerships successfully implement this attitude is through a corporate safety committee. The committee is not just another meeting. It has purpose, creates responsibility, and holds all employees of the dealership accountable for both identifying concerns and taking corrective actions. But this committee is like a chain – it's only as strong as the weakest link. It requires involvement from executive decision makers along with other departments including parts, service, and sales staff. Let's review some general practices that can help you get a successful safety committee established, or improve the one you current have in place. Organization and Responsibility The basic function of a safety committee is to create and maintain interest in safety and to reduce accidents or injuries. It should be a collaboration of management, supervisors, and workers with a representative from each major department. Some other factors to consider include: n Setting an objective to meet monthly and to not compromise. When the committee meeting is not viewed as a priority, it can often get postponed because of scheduling difficulties. Over time, the committee meetings disappear along with the benefits. Make sure the time and date for the meeting is scheduled well in advance (6-12 months), so committee members have ample time to arrange other commitments. Establishing a consistent meeting time, such as every second Tuesday of the month, is a simple way to make sure it won't get missed on the calendar. n Membership should be rotated periodically to give more employees an opportunity to participate. Fresh perspectives and ideas can be generated from new individuals. n Establish and define the goals of the committee. What needs to be achieved in this process? Meeting Routine Each meeting should be documented by a designated employee. The meeting should follow a consistent format and include the time and date, and who is present. Most importantly, the content should include: n A review of all dealership accidents and injuries that have occurred since the last meeting – The first report of an accident form or similar document should be discussed detailing who was involved and the facts of the event. Contributors to the accident should be identified as well as the corrective measures needed to immediately prevent a re-occurrence. If a long-term solution is needed, those steps can be outlined. n Communicating the results of the monthly facility inspection for each department (hopefully, this is already a staple of your proactive safety program) – Each month, committee members should be assigned to inspect a department to identify any physical hazards or facility deficiencies, and note general conditions such as housekeeping and appearance. This inspection should be 20 | www.cedmag.com | Construction Equipment Distribution | July 2013 20_Play_it_Safe_feature_KP.indd 20 6/27/13 12:53 PM