Safety
Before Reliability, Before Efficiency, There is Safety.
First Transit has a top-down commitment to safety. Employees at all levels follow safety policies, procedures, processes, and programs.
By formalizing a list of Ten Injury Prevention Principles that include performing safety checks and risk assessments before undertaking a task, wearing the correct equipment, and having the correct authorization to perform work, we reinforce our commitment to safety and make it simple for employees to stay safe.
We encourage our front-line staff to participate in our safety processes and take pride in the work they perform by empowering them to take action to prevent injuries. Our motto is, if you can’t do it safely, don’t do it.
We take a complete approach, which encompasses everything from training to thorough documentation and correction of any safety gaps. We track our progress through our company-wide software in order to continually improve our processes and vehicle safety standards.
Ensuring Driver Safety
Our workforce is thoroughly vetted before hiring, with evaluations that continue throughout their employment.
First Transit emphasizes driver training and best practices through:
- Pre-employment and ongoing random drug and alcohol testing
- Stringent background and record checks
- Physical performance evaluations
- Comprehensive customer service training
- The Smith System of Defensive Driver Training program completed as part of new driver training with refreshers conducted throughout the year
- Extensive ongoing driver training including in-classroom and behind-the-wheel training
- A recognized safety standard
Because our safety and injury prevention programs are company-wide, we foster open dialogue in our company with an emphasis on speaking up if an unsafe practice is witnessed, as well as recognizing and rewarding safe practices.
Our commitment to safety has paid off in the form of countless awards and recognition. More recently, our parent company, FirstGroup, was awarded the National Safety Council’s Green Cross for Safety Medal (opens in a new browser window), the highest award for safety in North America, in recognition of our strong safety culture, outstanding safety record and commitment to our core values of safety and customer service.