TNT’s safety strategy goes worldwide
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Trying to establish safety standards across 200-plus countries is a logistical nightmare – but it’s something that global courier TNT Express is attempting to do. ASHLEY MARTIN reports...
Time is money to global courier company TNT Express, but ethics and the moral argument are greater, which is why the organisation is focusing on raising road safety standards in every one of the 200+ countries in which it operates. Just as TNT Express, one of the world’s leading businessto- business express delivery service providers, has comprehensive occupational road risk management measures in place in mature markets such as the UK, it is investing heavily to reduce the number of road crash fatalities and injuries in emerging markets such as Brazil, China, India and eastern European nations.
But summing up the company’s view, Birmingham-based health and safety manager Kevin Cook said: “TNT Express does not focus on the financial impact of road traffic accidents. Its primary reason for enhanced road safety performance is the moral benefit to society as a whole and the company feels that to proportion costs is inappropriate compared to the cost of human life and a family’s suffering.
“In addition, the company as a whole is already aware of the costs and business implications of accidents within an express delivery service and therefore it is considered unnecessary to further identify them.”
TNT Express, a division of the Netherlandsbased TNT business, delivers 4.4 million parcels, documents and pieces of freight each week – and the figure is rising as the business continues to expand, particularly in emerging markets. The division operates almost 15,000- owned vehicle – HGVs, sub-7.5 tonne vehicles, company cars and motorcycles – and around a further 16,000 vehicles are operated by contractors at a national level depending on seasonal demands, operational benefits and the fact that in some countries such as Italy, India and Germany it is standard practice. In the UK, TNT Express operates 2,002 vehicles above 7.5 tonnes, 370 small trucks and vans below 7.5 tonnes and 988 company cars. TNT Express also operates 47 aircraft and has the single largest door-to-door air and road express delivery infrastructure in Europe.
Mature business units such as the UK, France, Italy and Germany already have wellestablished road safety policies and procedures for all drivers getting behind the wheel of a vehicle built around well developed health and safety and employment legislation, and those structures are now being rolled out worldwide. Initiatives include standards around driver recruitment, on-the-road driving assessments being carried out prior to a post being offered, defensive driver training courses being completed within three months of employment with a refresher after three years, and possible additional training for drivers following a blameworthy crash and when a commercial vehicle driver has been absent for more than three months. Crucially, contractors are also expected to meet similar high standards – although this presents greater challenges in the developed world than in emerging markets, according to Mr Cook.
Compliance
“Globally, contractor compliance is the single biggest issue we face,” explained Mr Cook, whose role is to help implement and enforce similar standards and approaches to road safety on a country-by-country basis across the world and provide support through auditing global policies and recommending best practice.
“In the emerging markets we tell contractors the safety standards we expect and if they don’t comply then they don’t get the work. In Europe and the developed world there are legal issues and it is more difficult. However, we explain the TNT Express standard and what we expect of contractors and, where appropriate, provide training and information. We then monitor the contractors and if we are not happy we then go elsewhere.”
In 2004 TNT Express saw 19 fatalities involving its vehicles around the world, but it has seen that figure cut to one fatality a month on average in mature markets. However, as the company embarks on a strategy of acquisition in emerging countries it has seen a significant rise in road crashes – last year there were 39 fatalities of which sub contractors accounted for 31 of the incidents with many in the emerging markets.
Background
It is against that background that TNT Express believes that it can make a difference. Mr Cook said: “We will endeavour to work with the national businesses that we acquire to reduce road deaths and crashes and educate drivers. That is why we are giving managers and staff in these countries hands-on support and advice and rolling out best practice from the UK and other mature markets into these countries.”
Additionally, an annual global road safety week throughout TNT Express’s operations complements its road safety management system, and special programmes and campaigns are designed to keep the issue front of mind amongst all staff - directors, managers and drivers. Mr Cook outlined how it was perfectly acceptable in India, for example, for a company to ask an employee to undertake a 30-hour journey, but added: “We say that is not acceptable so we have to get policies in place to enable our basic standards to be met. But change must be handled carefully because cultures are very different.”
TNT Express is investing heavily to reduce the number of road crash fatalities and injuries in emerging markets such as Brazil, China, India and eastern European nations
Programme
The TNT Express road safety management programme focuses on driver, vehicle and journey management, but said Mr Cook: “TNT Express appreciates that a fourth element of road safety which is not within its road safety management system, but is equally important is road condition, infrastructure and the actions of other road users.”
That is why TNT Express has strong links with the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP), has signed up to the European Road Safety Charter and is pleased at becoming a ‘business champion’ under the Government’s ‘Driving for Better Business’ programme.
GRSP, which is managed by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva, brings together governments and governmental agencies, the private sector and civil society organisations to address road safety issues in low and middleincome countries.
Meanwhile, the European Road Safety Charter is an appeal and a driving force for all civil society organisations to provide a tangible contribution to increasing road safety in Europe and a forum and platform for the signatories to exchange experiences and new ideas – across national borders – in their efforts towards greater safety on European roads.
By making its policies and procedures and road safety-related materials available to other like-minded organisations, Mr Cook said: “We all share the road; we all share the globe and we all work together. The at-work driving safety measures taken by one organisation may stop a TNT Express vehicle from being involved in a crash and that will help everyone, including our business, which is why we are happy to share best practice.” He added: “By joining organisations and becoming involved in campaigns and initiatives such as ‘Driving for Better Business’ we can lobby governments for change and promote road safety. We want to reduce road casualties globally and we believe we can make a difference.”
Earlier this year, a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly called on private and public sector fleets to develop and implement policies and practices that would reduce crash risks for vehicle occupants and other road users (RoadSafe: summer 2008).
“All businesses can learn from each other,” said Mr Cook, who explained that all fatal crashes resulted in investigations being launched at managing director level with the aim being to implement measures to stop any repeat incident.
Historically, road safety has been seen as an unfortunate consequence of transport systems and as a problem for the transport sector. However, the direct costs of the growing number of crashes falls mostly on the health sector, businesses and families.
It is with that mind that TNT Express aspires to have the same road safety and health and safety standards not just in the UK, but also in countries as culturally different as Vietnam and Brazil.
“It is not easy,” said Mr Cook. “But TNT will focus relentlessly on a zero tolerance policy for the loss of human lives in respect of employees, contractors and third parties.”