Purpose and Objective
An Accident Review Board has one main objective: to determine whether or not an
accident was preventable. Such records are used in determining the driver’s eligibility
for safe driving awards. In the case of a small fleet, the Safety Committee could also
act as an Accident Review Board.
Organization
Accident Review Boards are generally composed of 3-7 members. An average of five
members gives an ideal range of thought for determining disposition of each case.
Too large a board may become cumbersome and present difficulty in reaching
decisions.
The average board consists of two driver representatives and two management
representatives and the loss control supervisor. The loss control supervisor will act
as chairperson and abstain from voting unless it is to break a tie.
Eligibility for Board Representation
Driver
A driver should have credit for at least one full year of no-accident driving with the company. The two drivers serving on the board should be representative of the nature of driving done by the company, such as one who is primarily an over-the-road driver and one who is primarily a local driver.
Requiring a one-year no-accident record to be eligible to serve provides an incentive in the safety program by setting a premium on the right to serve. Criticism of board members is also avoided by adjudged drivers.
The experience of the two drivers should prove invaluable in reviewing accidents and making recommendations on preventative measures.
Top Management
The purpose of having top management’s representations is to give the board’s decisions authority. However, management should have a real interest in the company’s loss control program. They should also have the respect of the employees and be on a friendly basis with them. To give the board balance, one member of top management should be the owner or president, and the other from operational management, such as a driver supervisor or maintenance supervisor.
The Formation of the Board
Normally, the only changes that will take place on the board will be periodic replacement of the driver representatives. The tenure should not exceed one year with an ideal term being six months. Originally, one driver should be selected for a three-month term, and one for six months. Thereafter, a new representative will join the board every three months for six-month term. This method of staggering terms retains at least one experienced driver representative on the board at all times.
Appointment
Usually all appointments come from top management. In the case of drivers, they are usually appointed based on the safety supervisor’s recommendation because of the eligibility requirements of the driver.
Election
Another way of selecting eligible drivers to serve on the board is letting the drivers themselves select or vote for their eligible representatives. This method encourages interest in the activities of the board and the loss control program.
Procedure
The board should meet accordingly on a regular schedule or as need dictates. All meetings should be at a time convenient for the driver representatives. The board can provide one of two basic functions:
- Meet according to a schedule to screen and study all accidents , determining whether or not they were preventable and recommending preventative methods, or
- Act as an Appeal Board. As an Appeal Board, they would review only those cases where chargeability was questionable. The safety supervisor would pass on the clear-cut cases. If a driver was not satisfied with the decision of the safety supervisor, the driver could present the case to the Appeal Board for a review, in which case their decision would be final.
In either situation, the safety supervisor should present the facts of each case to the board without divulging the driver’s name, thus avoiding personality clashes. When presenting each case full use should be made of diagrams that are either mimeographed, on a black board or on a magnetic traffic board. Each member of the board should receive a copy of all the records and the facts. Every area should be thoroughly discussed and understood by all members of the board before a decision is reached. The safety supervisor should not discuss the merits of any case and should act only as a discussion leader and technical advisor. Once a decision is reached, every effort should be made to arrive at preventative measures in case of preventable accidents.
Guides for Reaching Decisions
To aid the Accident Review Board and the safety supervisor in rendering a fair decision, all accidents are considered preventable unless:
- Driver’s vehicle was parked correctly at the time of the accident.
- Driver had the vehicle stopped for an arterial sign or traffic light at the time of the accident.
- Driver’s vehicle was run into from the rear
Records
All proceedings of the board should be recorded. A periodic review of these records provides excellent material for safety meetings and driver education sessions. However, in no event should a driver’s name be divulged when discussing a case.
In summary, it must be understood that an Accident Review Board is not the whole answer to accident prevention in the fleet. It represents only a part of the overall safety program. Special caution must be exercised so as not to let personalities enter into any decision made by the board – it takes only one to defeat its whole purpose.
Source : Sentry Insurance