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“It’s very rare that you should jump on any one individual piece of data, you should look for trends.”
a maximum of seven people to manage during an emergency.
“You might be the best manager in world, able to manage 30 people,” said Clarke, “but in an emergency, seven is enough.”
Clarke said carriers should main-
tain an up-to-date emergency response plan to ensure quick access to information, a clearly defined response system, a defini- tion of emergency response team roles, and a description of actions to manage an incident. TW
– Derek Tate
Between 2016 and 2017, the general trucking service saw an 11.88% increase in its disabling injury rate, and a 9.95% rise in lost time claims.
“(Short term trends) can defi- nitely ripple into long-term prob- lems,” cautioned Nielsen, adding that the industry’s aging popula- tion is taking more time to recover from injuries.
With falls being the most fre- quent cause of injury in truck- ing, Nielsen pointed out that the average number of disability days in general trucking last year was 44.4, up 24.37% from 2016.
Compared to other industries, all trucking categories saw an overall 10% increase in lost time claims from 2016 to 2017, second only to mining, which had a 23% increase. Construction, manufacturing, and trades each had a 4% decrease in lost time claims.
In general trucking, those between the ages of 51-58 account for the most lost time claims, with those over 58 taking the longest time to recover. Falls were the most common cause of injury, and motor vehicle collisions were the highest cost and longest duration of time away from work.
Nielsen said the trucking sector overall is in a positive position in relation to injury statistics com- pared to pre-2014, and carriers’ top priority should be to get employees in modified work roles as soon as they are able to return to work.
Dealing with an emergency
When an emergency occurs, there are three types of people – those who flee because they are in shock, those who run around not knowing what to do, and those who stay and work to fix the problem.
That’s according to emergency management expert Shell Clarke, who outlined the steps that need to be taken when an emergency happens.
General emergency management principles revolve around pre- ventative measures, preparation, response when a situation occurs, and recovery after the fact.
During an emergency, the primary goals are to protect people, the environment, and the compa- ny’s reputation and assets.
The seven steps to dealing with an emergency starts with evacu- ate: protect yourself and get to safe place from the hazard. Next is to sound the alarm, and then assess the situation by identifying hazards, ensuring others understand those hazards. Make sure you and others are protected, and only then attempt to rescue others. If there is the need to revive those who were rescued, conduct CPR and provide ongoing care until the final stage (medical aid) sees them transported to proper life-saving personnel.
To deal with the ongoing emer- gency situation, Clarke said Canada and Alberta has adopted the Incident Command System (ICS), first developed in California in the 1970s following a series of catastrophic wildfires.
ICS follows a standardized pro- tocol during emergencies that includes common terminology, a chain of command, planning struc- ture with management objectives and incident action plan, facilities and resources, communication channels, and professionalism.
One of the first steps in any emergency is to establish an inci- dent commander, which should be the most senior, knowledgeable person on site.
Incident commanders manage the overall emergency response, is available on a 24-hour basis, ensures the safety of others, and established an incident command post.
They then establish a team to deal with the emergency, which includes an on-site supervisor and public protection supervisor.
Each team member is given
November 2018 • Truck West 21