National Trucking Week

Phone: (204) 633.3963 | Fax: (204) 632.7527 | 180 Ryan Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2R 0P1 | customerservice@altobafreight.ca | altobafreight.ca 4 Tractor service 4 Straight trucks 4 Tailgate P&D 4 Refrigerated shipments (LTL & FTL) 4 Intermodal Drayage 4 Dedicated Trucking 4 Expedited shipments 4 Inventory management 4 Continuous tracking 24/7 Cross dock, Distribution & Warehousing facility in Winnipeg Dock to dock, Dock to deck, Deck to deck, Pick & pack etc. NATIONAL TRUCKING WEEK 3 I TRUCKING B Y G E O F F K I R B Y S O N S ince it was established in 2015, the Manitoba Trucking Association's Risk: Professionally Managed (RPM) safety program has been lauded for its efforts in helping trucking companies make their operations safer and more profitable. The advisors and trainers from RPM Trucking Industry Safety will assist organizations in ensuring each person who walks in the front door has a safe working environment, whether they're an employee, contractor or a visitor. Many training courses are also available to develop an occupational health and safety program, from first aid training to training for safety and health committees to educate them on their legal responsibilities surrounding safety inspections, incident reporting and investigations. About 150 trucking companies currently tap into the RPM program. While that number is encouraging, it represents less than 10 per cent of the approximately 1,600 operators in the province. Part of the problem is many companies are not aware these services are available to them, says Dave Gillis, RPM Safety Program Manager. As a result, Gillis and his team have renewed their efforts on getting the word out about RPM. That includes sending a letter sent to every trucking company in the province which they will then follow up on with phone calls. "A lot of companies are unaware that we exist and can help them enhance their occupational health and safety programs," Gillis explains. "It's an education issue. Our services are free. We'll say, 'You've got a great safety program' or 'You've got some gaps' (to close)." A single accident can result in many dominos falling in the aftermath, he says. For example, if a cleaning person has run an extension cord across a doorway and a driver walks in, trips and injures themself, the driver could miss work resulting in a delay in a delivery or pick-up because a replacement driver is needed. The trucking industry is very lean and competitive, so keeping to the schedule is critical. A truck delayed in leaving the dock is holding up a truck arriving at the dock. A load late in arriving at a receiver could result in extra fees, or the customer will use a different company the next time. Although drivers are the highest- profile people in the industry, the RPM program's reach goes behind the scenes to include all workers in all departments within an organization. This includes maintenance workers, dock workers, cleaners, dispatchers, administrative staff and all management from front line supervisors to the president of the company. RPM's recommendations are based on provincial and federal workplace safety and health regulations. These regulations were designed to guide employers on making their workplace safe for all people setting foot in their business. Safer workplaces result in reduced illnesses and injuries, subsequently reducing WCB claims, which lower WCB premiums across all business sectors. The ultimate goal for RPM's 150 member companies is to achieve the Trucking Certificate of Recognition in the SAFE Work Certified program. This is the standard for Occupational Safety and Health in Manitoba. By achieving it, a company becomes eligible for rebates on their annual WCB premiums as a financial incentive. For example, if a company is paying out $1 million in annual premiums, the 15 per cent rebate can be $150,000. To date, 26 Manitoba trucking companies have been SAFE Work Certified by RPM. "Companies that achieve the Certificate of Recognition for becoming SAFE Work Certified are entitled to this annual rebate on their annual WCB premiums, but the big savings is when your WCB premiums start dropping because your illnesses and injuries are dropping," Gillis says. Taking advantage of the RPM services is a no-brainer, according to Chrissy Bohemier, Workplace Health and Safety Manager for Gardewine Group. "We want every one of our employees to work safely and go home in the same condition they arrived. We want them to be confident they're coming to work in a safe environment and working for a company that values their safety," says Bohemier, whose Winnipeg-based employer has 1,700 staff and more than 495 tractors, 126 trucks and 1,435 different kinds of trailers. "Some people in other industries say safety costs too much, takes too long and makes production run slower. But when you're not having to stop or delay production because of injured people, dealing with downtime to repair or replace broken tools and equipment, you're much more productive. It also improves, increases and strengthens employee morale and a company's safety culture. The safer you are, the better off you are." One big advantage of RPM is the training it provides to employees on how to work safely and to know the responsibilities of their jobs. "That's a huge added value," Bohemier explains "You are not having to do all the training yourself and you're not paying extra to bring in outside trainers. You are able to provide a lot more training and reach more of your employees at one time. It gives the safety team the ability to focus on other safety initiatives, specialty training that RPM does not offer but also give us the ability and time to connect with other safety professionals to keep up with new safety technologies, initiatives, best practices and stay current with what's going on in the safety world that can help you to improve safety in your own workplace. Not taking advantage of RPM is a disservice to your company and your employees." RPM REVVING UP SAFETY EFFORTS Program looking to increase awareness on what it has to offer RPM Safety Program Manager Dave Gillis says while the program has received top marks from participating businesses many companies remain unaware of its existence. P H O T O B Y D A R C Y F I N L E Y

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