Safety has always been a daily concern at fleet operations with dangerous equipment, chemicals, and repairs, but there is added focus on safety during the coronavirus. Now, not only do your employees have to use proper caution when adding fluids to vehicles and using tools, but they also must follow protocol to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
To ensure your staff members are staying safe, you can enforce your operation’s safety policies through the following means:
- Ensure all employees are properly trained on all safety guidelines. It is critical to properly train all employees on safety procedures and protocols. This should be done before a new employee starts and should also be conducted on a regular basis for all staff members.
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- Place signage and warnings throughout the shop. Place visible reminders and warnings throughout your shop – especially near dangerous chemicals and equipment – to remind employees of what precautions they need to take.
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- Provide employees with all necessary equipment and protective gear. To ensure employees’ safety, they need to correctly apply all required personal protective equipment. Each employee should have access to the necessary PPE that is needed based on their job duties.
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- Set levels of discipline. Operations can set up various levels of discipline to address safety violations. These can vary by shop, but one option is to start with a verbal warning if someone is not following a specific safety rule. The next time that employee breaks a safety guideline he or she may receive a written warning. If that employee continues to violate the rules, then he or she could face penalties that vary from being sent home, having their hours reduced, or even facing a financial penalty.
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- Follow through with consistent enforcement. To make sure your staff members adhere to the safety guidelines, it is important to be consistent with your enforcement plan. Ensure all employees are subject to the various levels of discipline and that exceptions are not made.