Back to School: Safety Experts Give Tips for Start-Up Operations

With the 2005-2006 school year already underway in many areas across the nation, preparations for some pupil transportation operations are long past the implementation stages. But as transportation directors and supervisors are well aware of the inevitable growing pains of returning to school - many of which are for first time using GPS or new routing software, which further complicates matters.

Two leading safety experts recently weighed in on the topic of start-up operations. Ted Finlayson-Schueler of Safety Rules!, a school travel safety consultancy in Syracuse, N.Y., and Carmen Daecher of Daecher Consulting Group, Inc., a transportation, safety and insurance consulting group in Camp Hill, Pa., agreed that school districts should have drivers study their routes before school begins. And for new and substitute drivers should ride along on other routes to become familiar with the district landscape.

Going Above and Beyond

"Train beyond requirements," said Daecher, a transportation specialist with 31 years of experience. "Other than state-mandated training, go over route risk considerations, all defensive driving issues, student management issues, etc.  Let them get reacquainted with operating the bus if they did not drive during the summer."

Daecher recently taught a "team safe" course to school bus contractors in July at the NTSB Academy in Ashburn , Va. , 

According to Daecher Consulting Group, this includes OSHA compliance. The three most applicable OSHA regulations relative to school bus drivers are emergency action plans, hazard Communication and blood-borne pathogens. Matthew Daecher said districts must give drivers instruction on what to do if a workplace or facility emergency occurs, what types of hazardous chemicals they may be exposed to, what to do if they are exposed, and when and how to use those body fluid kits they see on the buses.

Equally important, Carmen Daecher added, is for the transportation department to take an emotional and physical stock of drivers to make sure they are prepared for the school year ahead and the safety measures they must employ day in and day out.

Finlayson-Schueler, the former executive director of the Pupil Transportation Safety Institute and founder of the organization, advocated innovative ways for drivers to get up to speed on safety. For example, he said transportation departments could offer a written quiz on proper loading and unloading procedures or other district policies. Based on test scores, each driver would receive an entry in a drawing for a gift certificate or special parking space.

"Find fun not boring or demeaning ways to remind your drivers of all the safety procedures that they need to remember," he said.

Safety Rules! funds local safety initiatives through a grant program that distributes 10 percent of the company's revenue to school districts for such pursuits.

Preparation is Mitigation

Before the school year begins, Finlayson-Schueler said all drivers or driver-attendant teams should also submit front and rear entrance evacuation plans for each bus load of children, including identification of any physical, mental or learning challenges that might need to be addressed. In addition, clear-cut policies should exist for children who get on the wrong bus, are at the wrong bus stop or forget their stop "so that you don't have any lost, crying kindergarteners and their equally distressed parents on TV."

Matthew Daecher, Carmen's son and an associate with Daecher Consulting Group, added that drivers must be reminded what to do if they are involved in an accident, from contacting dispatch, to safely securing the bus, to handling students (and parents who may show up on the scene).

"Review internal management procedures," he said. "Do your dispatchers have a current 'to-do' list to follow when they receive report of an accident? Who will respond to the scene and what should they do once they get there, including what information should they obtain? Who's responsible for fielding any school, parent or media inquiries?"

Drivers should also undergo some initial or refresher defensive driving training, he said, such as skills training in the usual accident "hot spots" of turns and backing and proper use of mirrors.

As was a common theme at last month's STN EXPO 2005, drivers must use their eyes.

"If they see any situations which are unsafe, or have any suggestions to make stops or routes safer, encourage them to bring them to the table and reward them if they improve any aspect of their route," Matthew Daecher said. "Speaking up for the safety of the children will make you and your operation look like the star you are."

Just as the drivers need a refresher course, so do the vehicles themselves.

Finlayson-Schueler and Carmen Daecher both said that transportation departments must ensure that all school buses have undergone their pre-trip inspection and have test driven without students onboard to mitigate dealing with problems on day one because maintenance issues have festered all summer while the buses sit idle.

"Make sure the fleet is in tip-top shape," Carmen Daecher said. "There are no excuses for poorly or improperly maintained buses."

Source: School Transportation News, September 2005. All rights reserved.