It’s a scene that occurs hundreds of times in DPWs across the country. You have to move a number of employees from one site to another so you load people in the back of a pickup truck or dump truck and head for the site. However, this is a very dangerous practice.

Recently a MIIA member was transporting summer employees from one work-site to another on cemetery grounds. When the truck turned a corner, one of the employees fell to the ground, sustaining a life threatening head injury.

Every town must have a written policy prohibiting the transport of employees anywhere except in the cab of a vehicle. Towns should also have a policy requiring seatbelt use for all occupants of town-owned vehicles.Under no circumstances should anyone ride in the back of a moving vehicle! Supervisory personnel must enforce this policy with no exceptions.

If you are in need of a sample policy contact:
Jeff Siena, Loss Control Manager 800-882-1498 ext.259