Job Safety Analysis

Page: 1 of 4 JSA Reference #: CIRSA Date: 7/10/12 New: X

Revised:

Job/Task Description: SAFE VEHICLE OPERATIONS Analysis by: CIRSA Loss Control

Department(s): All Affected Section(s): All Affected Revised by: N/A

Additional Information: This JSA is recommended for operations of any vehicle owned by CIRSA Members. Approved by: CIRSA Loss Control
Additional recommendations/requirements may be necessary for vehicles that require a CDL License.

Sequence of Job/Event Potential Hazards Recommended Action(s), Procedure(s) and/or Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Inspection
&
Evaluation

Ensure each driver has a valid Colorado None Where a CDL is required, employees shall follow all requirements set forth to obtain the specific class of
Driver’s License license and/or any load specific endorsements.

Ensure each driver has participated in None. Supervisory staff should ensure that each employee has been adequately trained to drive the assigned
defensive/distracted driver training and a vehicle. The possession of a valid driver’s license does not ensure adequate nor driving skills on the
hands-on driver evaluation. assigned vehicle.

All drivers should become familiar with the vehicle’s blind spots, turning radius and any other limitations
that may prevent safe operations. Should an unsafe system be suspected, the driver should notify their
supervisor immediately to determine if a maintenance evaluation needs to be conducted.

Ensure that each employee has read and Potential non-compliance with agency specific human Supervisors and/or department directors should ensure that each employee has read their assigned
understands any agency specific policies resources and/or department policies and procedures. policies. Additional policies may become necessary over time and it is the responsibility of each
related to driving. department to ensure that employees maintain compliance.

Review additional CIRSA JSA, Driving Minor to extremely impaired visibility. Slippery driving Follow protocols established by CIRSA JSA – Driving in Adverse Weather Conditions. If and when
in Adverse Weather Conditions conditions. Potential for flying debris. conditions become too severe for safe driving, slowly proceed to a safe location, exit the vehicle and
proceed to an adequate shelter.

Review CIRSA JSA, Refueling a Improper fueling may result in fire, explosion, accident, Follow protocols established by CIRSA JSA– Refueling a Vehicle.
Vehicle injury or death.

Ensure vehicle is properly maintained. Potential for accidents, personal injury and/or vehicular Ensure that vehicle maintenance schedules, as established by the entity’s fleet mechanic and/or fleet
damage to occur due to a lack of proper maintenance. management department, are followed in a timely manner. Ensure that any problems, malfunctions
and/or damage that occur with the vehicle are immediately reported and the vehicle is taken in for a
maintenance assessment.

Conduct pre and post trip inspections, as required for CDL holders and recommended and/or required by
the respective city, town or municipality.

Entering Vehicle Potential for slips, trips & falls while entering vehicle.
Caught in between hazards while doors are opening &
closing.
Prior to entry, perform a 360 degree walk around inspection to assess for damage that may have
occurred. Report any damage immediately to supervisory staff per existing agency protocols.
The 360 degree inspection also allows the driver to evaluate any obstacles, such as walls, overhead
doors, other vehicles, etc, environmental hazards, such as trees, holes, drop-offs, etc. and any other
potential interference that could cause damage to the vehicle.

Specific Emergency Services Personnel, such as Law Enforcement, Fire Department and EMS are not
mandated to perform the 360 degree inspection during emergency events. However, when parking
emergency services vehicles, drivers should ensure that there are no obstacles in their path as described
above. Refer to the backing & parking sections below for additional requirements. During all non-

Don Seat Belt
Drive to Location
Maintaining Safe Distances
Arrive at destination / Parking
Backing
Potential for accidents, injury and/or death.
Potential for accidents, injury and/or death.
Potential for accidents, injury and/or death.
Potential for accidents, injury and/or death specific to
roadside parking location, parking lots and/or other
miscellaneous parking locations.
Potential for accidents, injury and/or death specific to
backing, backing location, environmental conditions
and/or other miscellaneous backing hazards.
emergency events, the requirement should be applicable to all emergency services personnel.
Watch your step. If shoes/boots are wet, muddy or caked with snow & ice, remove excess prior to
entering the vehicle to reduce chance of slips & falls. Use the three point system of entry (two hands and
one foot or two feet and one hand in contact with the vehicle at all times).
Ensure the steering wheel position-height; all mirrors and seat position are acceptable prior to starting the
vehicle.
NO EXCEPTIONS! All personnel are required to wear their seat belts at all times while in a vehicle.
Law enforcement personnel have limited exceptions to this rule during specific emergency events where
the use of the seatbelt might endanger the lives of the officer. However, in non-emergency situations all
law enforcement personnel shall wear a seat belt per CRS 42-4-237, 3(c).
Follow all traffic laws as set forth by the state of Colorado. Adhere to all entity specific policies and
procedures related to driving, as described above and below.
Use all available mirrors, back-up cameras (where installed), audible warning devices (where installed),
turn signals, etc.
Employees should not use any distraction devices while driving unless required to perform the act of
reporting an emergency event per Colorado laws, in the act of an emergency transport and/or where law
enforcement duties require the use of said devices.
While traveling, all vehicles should maintain a minimum safe distance to the vehicle in front of them.
This can be accomplished as listed below or by other appropriate means:
Utilize the 3 second rule. Pick an object close to the side of the road in front of the vehicle in front of
you (i.e. a sign, building, etc.). At the exact moment the front vehicle passes the object, start counting
(one, one-thousand, two, one-thousand, etc.). If your vehicle passes the object in less than a full 3-second
count, you are too close.
It is recommended to add at least one full additional second for each adverse weather condition, i.e. rain,
snow, snow and ice, etc. It is also highly recommended to increase the following distance at night and all
larger vehicles should increase their following distance to a minimum of 5-7 seconds.
Should another vehicle enter the “buffer zone,” the vehicle should safely apply the brakes and reduce
their speed until the safe distance (buffer zone) has again been reached. Vehicles should repeat this
process as often as necessary to maintain the required safe distance.
When parking on the side of the road, ensure that the vehicle is far enough off the road as to not interfere
with the existing traffic flow, including while opening vehicle doors, hatches and tailgates. If parking off
of the road is not feasible and a vehicle must be parked in a lane of travel, then all applicable work zone
guidelines should be followed in accordance with the MUTCD and all other Colorado and federal
regulations.
When driving through parking lots, always adhere to the established speed limit (usually 10-15 mph).
Use extreme caution when parallel parking or backing into parking spots. When additional employees
are present, one person should get out and help guide the driver into parking spots.
When parking near water, ensure that the vehicle is parked a minimum of 10 feet away from the waters
edge. A greater distance may be necessary if the ground shows signs of instability. Do not park on
extreme slopes and always apply the emergency break.
Utilize a “spotter” (a passenger from the vehicle), where possible for all backing and parking maneuvers.
Review the “backing” section below for additional information.
Utilize a “spotter” (a passenger from the vehicle), where possible for all backing and parking maneuvers.
Where a spotter is used, the driver should obey all instructions provided by the spotter unless the driver
feels the instruction will create a greater hazard. In this case, the driver should stop the vehicle, turn off
the ignition, engage the parking brake and physically exit the vehicle to assess the potential hazard and

Exiting Vehicle Potential for slips, trips & falls while exiting vehicle.
Caught in between hazards while doors are opening &
closing. Potential for unsafe footing while exiting.
Riding in the bed of Vehicles/Trailers Potential for accidents, injury and/or death.
Vehicle Breakdowns Potential for flat tires, fire and/or explosion. Potential for
accidents, injury and/or death related to the vehicular
breakdown.
Potential for accidents, injury and/or death while the
employee is trying to exit the vehicle.
Vehicle Breakdowns – CDL Potential for flat tires, fire and/or explosion. Potential for
Requirements accidents, injury and/or death related to the vehicular
breakdown.
Potential for accidents, injury and/or death while the
employee is trying to exit the vehicle.
Additional Passenger Responsibilities Potential for accidents, injury and/or death.
Accidents Potential for additional accidents, injury and/or death while Call 911 for all injuries and/or suspected injuries that are or appear to be life threatening. Call 911 where
the employee is trying to exit the vehicle.
resolve the conflict with the spotter. Once resolved, repeat this process until the vehicle is safely
backed/parked. Back to the driver’s side, wherever possible. Back at very slow (creeping) speed. Turn off
the radio and open windows so the instructions and warning can be heard, keep spotter in sight at all
times, stop immediately if you lose sight of spotter.
During all backing/parking maneuvers, the driver should engage the vehicles strobe, rotating lights
and/or flashing lights (where equipped). Once the maneuver is finished, turn off lights.
Watch your step. If shoes/boots are wet, muddy and/or caked with snow & ice, remove excess prior to
entering the vehicle to reduce chance of slips. Use the three point system of entry (two hands and one
foot in contact with the vehicle at all times).
No personnel should ride in the bed of any vehicle unless adequate seating and seat belts have been
properly designed, approved by the manufacturer and installed for this specific purpose.
This requirement also applies to any pull behind trailer, mechanized equipment or other vehicle type
(such as utility carts).
Turn on vehicle hazard lights immediately.
When possible, move the vehicle to a safe distance off of the roadway. When moving the vehicle off of
the roadway is not feasible, remain in the vehicle until traffic has slowed down as much as possible. If a
cell phone is available, notify your supervisor immediately.
Once traffic has slowed down, check all mirrors and windows for approaching traffic. Exit the vehicle
and raise the hood.
EXCEPTION: If the vehicle breaks down in the center lane, do not exit the vehicle to raise the hood.
When traffic allows a safe exit, get out and move swiftly to the nearest sidewalk or other safe zone.
Notify department supervisor and/or the entity’s fleet mechanic immediately or as directed via agency
specific policy.
Turn on vehicle hazard lights immediately.
Once traffic has slowed down, check all mirrors and windows for approaching traffic. Exit the vehicle
and begin the placement of applicable warning devices (flares, triangles, lamps, etc.) as prescribed in
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.
EXCEPTION: Where traffic is too heavy or approaching drivers are too erratic to warrant a safe
“warning device” setup, get back in the vehicle or move to the nearest sidewalk or other safe zone
and immediately notify the department supervisor and request a deputy to aid in traffic control.
Notify department supervisor and/or the entity’s fleet mechanic immediately or as directed via agency
specific policy.
Passengers have many of the same responsibilities for the safety of the vehicle as the driver. These
include, but are not limited to, the following:
1) All passengers should be responsible to notify their immediate supervisor of any accident (Refer to
“Accident” section below).
2) All passengers should be responsible to ensure they assist the driver during any backing and/or
parking maneuvers by exiting the vehicle, performing a 360 degree walk around inspection and guiding
(spotting) the driver safety around and/or through a hazardous area.
3) Refer to “backing and parking” section above for additional information and responsibilities.
traffic lanes are blocked or significantly impeded. Call 911 where accident conditions and/or where
traffic is too hazardous to exit the vehicle. Notify supervisor immediately after calling 911. Where no
injuries are present or suspected and where traffic is not blocked or altered, notify the supervisor
 immediately and then re-evaluate for injuries.

All accidents occurring within any right-of-way should require a police report regardless of the level of
damage to vehicles. This should apply when any of the following circumstances exist (other
circumstances may warrant a report as well):
1) An owned or leased vehicle hits or allegedly hits a non-entity owned vehicle (citizen).
2) An owned or leased vehicle hits or allegedly hits non-entity owned property.
3) Anytime a citizen alleges that an entity owned or leased vehicle caused damage to their vehicle and/or
property.

Refer to additional agency specific policies and/or procedures for detailed reporting requirements.

Miscellaneous May improve safety recognition and prevent hazards along Agencies with larger vehicles and/or vehicles that have limited or zero rear visibility should consider
with corresponding accidents and/or injuries. budgeting and installing rear-view cameras to aid drivers in backing/parking maneuvers.

Agencies should consider budgeting and installing back-up alarms for all trucks and larger vehicles
and/or vehicles that have limited or zero rear visibility.
CDL Licenses – It is recommended that agencies make a copy of every CDL operator’s license each
year. This helps the departments and employees ensure the licenses are not expired, check restrictions
and ensure that each operator still has the required endorsements (sometimes the endorsements get
accidentally changed).

It is recommended that all agencies implement a distracted driving policy and/or program.

Task/Event Completed None None