November 22, 2010

Submitted by Pat Quinn, Managing Director of Creative Options, a Protiviti Company
Blazing a Trail in Driver and Fleet Safety
Safety Intelligence Portal Transforms Data into Action

When Creative Options' new Safety Intelligence Portal kicks into high gear in the first quarter of 2011, it's bound to be out in front, miles ahead of any other driver and fleet safety data management process. When organizations see how this portal gathers data continuously from sources such as government records, individual driver performance stats, incident records and vehicle telematics and then displays it on one central, easy-to-read, color-coded site, they will never look back.

Organizations stand to get significant mileage from this revolutionary system. Now, they have one central hub to go to for actionable information from all available safety data. This information puts them in the driver's seat. It enables and empowers them. They can affect change; reduce risk, manage safety processes and help prevent accidents. The results? A healthier bottom line, due to reduced accident costs and penalties, an improved corporate safety image and safer highways for all drivers.

Designed to keep track of numerous data feeds, the new proprietary portal identifies leading indicators of risk and determines high-risk employees. Along with safety, it also promotes efficiency. No longer do organizations have to bear the burden of collecting, cross-referencing and consolidating data, and then coming up with communication and action plans. "How’s My Driving?" reports will no longer stack up until someone has the time to sift through them and follow up. Now, managers can find out the safety status of their fleet, location or an individual driver with the click of a mouse. Red means "high-risk," yellow "action-required" and green "doing well." Individual drivers can also track their own safety status, displayed using the same color code. Drilling down, they can find out why they score what they do, and the criteria used to determine their current status.

The Safety Intelligence Portal launches at a particularly opportune time, as organizations prepare for and respond to CSA 2010, an initiative developed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), together with state partners to reduce commercial vehicle crashes, fatalities and injuries. Noncompliance can result in costly regulatory intervention strategies including off-site and on-site investigations, notices of violations, fines and penalties up to and including commercial carriers losing their license.

The Schwan Food Company, which operates a fleet of 6,800 trucks in 48 states, saw the value of the portal immediately. Randy Sharbano, VP and Assistant General Council at Schwan's Shared Services, a subsidiary of The Schwan Food Company, values having an automated tool to help corporate managers, depot managers and individual drivers perform their jobs effectively. Partnering with Creative Options for this driver and fleet safety management system was a natural move for Schwan's, as they have contracted the Waterloo, ON, Canada firm for their employee communication and awareness materials for 8 years. Employee-friendly programs include a custom-built software program, branded "Safe @ Schwan's," educational posters, quizzes and manager's guides.

Creative Options Managing Director, Pat Quinn, cites the high value of the portal to any organization with mobile employees, "Reducing even one serious accident would provide a positive ROI for the installation of the Safety Intelligence Portal." The Safety Intelligence Portal will provide an enterprise solution for safety and compliance management personnel to easily and effectively manage, engage and communicate with employees. A guiding principle of the platform was to enable organizations to "self-heal" with personalized and automated corrective actions providing organizations with a powerful tool to reduce incident rates. The visionary leadership displayed by Schwans and Creative Options (Protiviti) is continuing to introduce leading employee safety solutions and creating a paradigm shift in the safety industry.

For full details on Creative Options' Safety Intelligence Portal, call Pat Quinn at 1 800 233 5666 or email pquinn@creativeop.com