American Society of Safety Engineers Recommends Lifesaving School Bus, Transportation Guidelines

10/20/2003

From: Diane Hurns of the American Society of Safety Engineers, 847-768-3413, dhurns@asse.org

DES PLAINES, Ill., Oct. 20 -- School buses carry precious cargo and although everyone agrees that the singular objective of school bus transportation is to safely transport students to and from school and school activities, fatal accidents continue to occur. In an effort to minimize the potential for harm to the passengers and drivers alike, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) recommends that everyone involved - school districts, contractors, parent teachers associations and drivers -- work together to analyze and solve all the risk issues to increase school transportation safety.

One problem facing school districts is finding and retaining good drivers. School districts and the contractors who often provide school transportation for the districts should work hard to attract and retain quality drivers. According to ASSE's Transportation Practice Specialty Administrator Carmen Daecher, CSP, ARM, of Camp Hill, Pa., "Although school bus transportation is considered very important, driving a school bus can be one of the lowest-paying and least-rewarding jobs due to the meager pay scale. This along with the conflict, stress, anger and frustration that school bus drivers encounter on a daily basis tends to impress upon drivers that they simply are not important."

School districts and contractors should develop reasonable compensation packages; provide required training as well as supplemental training to help drivers cope with stress, conflict, passenger management and safety, and defensive driving. Drivers must be alerted to potential vehicle problems or conditions that can cause breakdowns or unsafe operating conditions.

"Organizations must find ways to assure drivers that they are part of the organization -- an important part of the company's overall success," Daecher said. "By helping drivers feel that they belong, organizations will retain quality drivers."

Additionally, it is recommended that a sound, consistent vehicle maintenance program be in place. "Often, too much attention is focused on damaged seats and bus interiors when all critical safety systems should be regularly inspected by qualified service technicians," Daecher said. "Drivers must also conduct thorough daily pre-and post-trip inspections. This is the best way to detect breakdowns or component failures as they occur."

Comprehensive, active management involvement is needed. It is crucial to have complete documentation of driver qualifications, training and behaviors during their tenure including the results of drug and alcohol testing, and complete documentation of vehicle maintenance.

Beyond these recommendations, management must work with employees to identify, analyze and solve risk issues. "Listening to drivers and other employees and responding to their safety suggestions or requests is fundamentally important to retaining good employees," he said. "Analyzing losses, determining root causes and producing change within the organization to prevent future occurrences should be part of an ongoing process of continuous improvement."

For more information check ASSE's Web site at http://www.asse.org. Founded in 1911, the non-profit ASSE is the largest and oldest professional safety organization. Its more than 30,000 members manage, supervise, research and consult on safety, health, transportation and environmental issues in industry, government, education, labor and insurance.