The 100 mechanics at XTRA Lease are safer now than they were two years ago.

According to Safety Manager Ray Lucas, the company reduced injuries in 2009 by 42 percent from the previous year – and by 56 percent from 2005.  And the injuries that do occur now are less severe, as reflected in workers’ comp claims down 85 percent since 2008.

What caused these improvements?  Lucas credits three common sense policies introduced in 2008.  Consider how these steps might benefit your operations:

1) Retire your ladders

Height presents a clear and present danger in shops and trailer yards. The danger from falls — say, from the roof of a trailer or even from the back — is compounded when workers instinctively try to catch themselves, resulting in additional hand, shoulder, back and head injuries.

In 2008, XTRA Lease replaced all ladders and scaffolding with rolling staircases.  The staircases provide a secure platform surrounded by railings to help prevent falls, when used on approved workpads and shop floors. 

Gone is that risky temptation to hop or scoot ladders.  Instead, mechanics now must act deliberately, getting down from the rolling staircases, repositioning them and climbing back up.

“The more we can keep our people from being elevated, that automatically is going to reduce our injury rate,” says Lucas. The numbers bear this out. In 2005, XTRA mechanics were injured in several “elevated falls” (defined by OSHA falls from six feet or higher).  In 2009:  a 100 percent reduction.  In fact, the only recorded falls last year were slips at ground level.

2) Equip your employees with safety vests and glasses

How visible are “pedestrians” in the busy parking lots and intersections otherwise known as your depots and yards?

“There are people coming in, people coming out of the yard, shop and office areas.  And if the drivers don’t see you, it puts you in a really bad spot because you’re a moving target,” says Lucas.  At special risk in fast-paced yards are mechanics emerging from underneath or behind trailers.

To reduce these risks, in 2008 XTRA Lease began requiring everyone to stop in the office, get an orange, high-visibility vest with reflective tape, and put it on before entering trailer yards.  This requirement applies to all mechanics, operations personnel, and visitors — including company executives and special guests — with no exceptions.

At the same time, the company also mandated that employees wear safety glasses in shops. This policy also has delivered results: XTRA Lease eye injuries are down 88 percent from the previous year, and down 90 percent from 2007.
 
3) Tag your trailers

It should be obvious when mechanics are working in, on or underneath your trailers.  But is it?  If it’s not clear, a driver could very well hook up to an “occupied trailer” and drive away — leaving the mechanic vulnerable to serious injury.

To prevent such accidents, XTRA Lease instituted a lock-out/tag-out program in 2008. Mechanics now must put red tags with their names on them on the glad-hands of trailers they’re working on. They are also obligated to put an orange cone in front of the trailers.

By making it unmistakable when work is in progress, the tags and cones have contributed to the overall reduction in accidents, says Lucas.

Develop a safety culture

Lucas points out that new policies on ladders, vests, trailer tags or anything else achieve little unless employees take ownership of them.  To win their acceptance, companies need to show a consistent commitment to safety.  Here’s how:

Standardize.  Once you document that a certain safety policy works, don’t adopt it haphazardly. Instead, implement it as a best practice across all your locations. “What we do in Boston is the same thing we do in San Diego,” says Lucas.

Educate.  Safety involves encouraging — and reinforcing — good habits.  To that end, XTRA Lease provides new hires with 40 hours of safety training.  In addition, the company holds monthly meetings and issues monthly bulletins devoted to safety.

Monitor.  “If you don’t monitor the use of a policy or procedure, if you don’t make sure that it’s being done effectively, then you’re not going to be able to measure your results,” says Lucas.  In other words, get away from your desk and into the field.  That’s where you encounter feedback and suggestions from frontline employees — your best source for ideas and insights.

Avoid Complacency.  Remember, the industry is always changing and success is only temporary.  If your goal is to be safer tomorrow than you are today, you should never rest or become satisfied.  Validate and refine what’s already working.  Ask employees what else you can do.  For instance, XTRA Lease is currently developing new procedures for jacking trailers and welding galvanized metals.

Make safety pay
“I think our safety program makes our workforce safer, smarter and more productive,” says Ray Lucas.  “Quality people do quality work.”

When safety becomes ingrained throughout an organization, employees know how much you value them and contribute more to the team.  They also stay productive — on the job rather than on disability.  As a result, you save money and operate more efficiently, earning significant returns on your investment in quality people.

Want to know more about trailer rental, leasing or purchase options?

Contact us for rates, terms and availability at an XTRA Lease location near you!