BENEFITS OF ADDING TELEMATICS TO YOUR FLEET
It's no secret that one of the riskiest parts of your employees' jobs is when they are on the road driving. Many insurance carriers,…
This white paper was co-authored by the experts at Driverge Vehicle Innovations, National Interstate Insurance, and Vanliner Insurance. Through our collaboration, we hope you learn some best practices to enhance your operation's safety culture.
It is highly likely that outside of your work or business you know someone who uses a wheelchair or mobility device, perhaps even within your own family. In fact, many who start NEMT companies do so because of personal experiences with family members and friends.
Just as you would ensure the utmost safety and compassion when transporting those closest to you, you should extend the same level of care to every passenger. Remember, the person you are transporting is someone's mother, father, child, or best friend and deserves to be treated with the same respect and concern you would offer to your own loved ones.
Yet…Injuries most frequently occur due to motor vehicle accidents or improper securement, or while boarding or unloading passengers. Fortunately, leaders and professional operators can significantly reduce the likelihood of such incidents. By creating policies and procedures which ensure your drivers adhere to safe driving practices, ensuring that passengers are properly secured, and being thoughtful during the loading and unloading process you can help minimize the chance of incidents.
This white paper will cover essential information, including the most common types of losses, the importance of implementing a securement policy, handling best practices, and other key considerations for drivers, like when encountering passengers who refuse securement.
Based on a study involving hundreds of incidents related to wheelchair losses resulting from motor vehicle accidents, improper securement, or injuries during the boarding or unloading process, it was identified that the average value of these losses exceeded $110,000. Losses involving wheelchair exposure continue to become more expensive. The best thing an employer can do is be proactive by ensuring a strong safety management program is in place to reduce the likelihood of such losses.
Many passenger injuries occur when vehicles are parked, primarily during the process of boarding or unloading using a lift or ramp. While the monetary value of these losses is significant, the impact on both the passenger and driver is far more important. Incidents, such as a passenger tipping over or sliding out of their wheelchair, can create lasting trauma and fear of future transportation for both the passenger and driver. These incidents can also erode trust in caregivers and professionals.
In more severe cases, such incidents can result in serious injury or even death. Beyond the personal impact, these events can lead to lawsuits, loss of customers, negative public relations, and other consequences that can cause significant financial harm to a company, its principals, and potentially even leading to it going out of business.
Policies are essential for helping ensure employees understand company expectations. It is crucial to develop policies that address the specific risks your operation faces, so employees have a clear understanding of acceptable and unacceptable behavior of both drivers and passengers. Training all new hires on these policies, regardless of their experience, is vital, along with hands-on onboarding and securement training. Skills can diminish over time, so refresher training on these topics is a valuable component of a safety management program.
Having a policy is important, but it is equally if not more important to understand your rights and responsibilities as an NEMT company.
Understand that it is the responsibility of the management and leadership of an NEMT company to ensure drivers are properly trained and can demonstrate proper handling, onboarding and securement of passengers using mobility devices. Using professional and certified trainers, whether inside or outside your company, will minimize the risk and liability of your organization.
Driverge Vehicle Innovations is one of the country’s leading builders of commercial accessible vans, shuttles, transporters, vocational and work vehicles. With their commitment to safety, the Driverge Training Team also boasts certified professional trainers who have trained 1000’s of drivers across the US and Canada. With manufacturing facilities in Ohio, Kansas, South Carolina and California, Driverge provides vehicle conversions to numerous industries and government agencies, including healthcare, wheelchair transport services, fleet management, hospitality, rideshare and other vocational markets. Driverge is a Ford Pro Upfitter, Mercedes-Benz eXpertSOLUTIONS Upfitter and Ram Commercial Q-Pro supplier. Driverge acquired commercial equipment upfit company U.S. Upfitters in 2022, which operates facilities in Illinois, Wisconsin, Maryland and Colorado. Driverge Vehicle Innovations and MobilityWorks together make up WMK, LLC, established in 1997 and recognized on the Inc. 500|5000 list of Inc. Magazine’s fastest-growing privately held companies, as well as Newsweek’s list of America’s Greatest Workplaces.
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