Bahwan DHL Exel Supply Chain promotes safe driving in Oman

As part of the company's commitment to the Omani community, Bahwan DHL Exel Supply Chain (ESC) has recently embarked on the sultanate's first ever safe driving campaign aimed at owner, drivers in the oil and gas field.

In addition to focusing on educating employees on responsible driving, the CSR program also helps to maintain sustainable local employment, according to Wayne Tait, Health, Safety & Environment Manager, Bahwan DHL Exel Supply Chain.

"Over the past two years, Bahwan DHL ESC has executed a series of initiatives supporting safe driving campaigns, here in Oman. However, this is the first program that focuses on individuals who are owner drivers of vehicles that are registered with the Ministry of Oil & Gas and help to support oil and gas related logistics," explains Tait.

"This segment has been identified as being highly prone to road accidents and by better maintaining the condition of vehicles we hope to avert more accidents. This will eliminate down-time due to non roadworthy vehicles and help to maintain income levels and productivity," added Tait.

A road traffic rate almost 50% above the global average

Statistics indicate that each year there are around 10,000 car accidents in Oman resulting in 680 deaths and 7,550 injuries. The causes of these crashes include speed, driver neglect, tiredness, overtaking, weather, sudden stops, safe distance, improper acts, vehicle condition, road condition, and cell phone use. Oman's road traffic death rate is 28 per 100,000 of the population, which is much higher than the global average of 19 killed per 100,000 and according to Tait, anything the company can do to help reverse this worrying trend will be at the forefront of its agenda.

"Performance of the drivers is measured by their overall improvement. This will be established according to how well the drivers maintain the condition of their vehicles, including the engine and the progress of the drivers' responsiveness and driving behavior," said Tait.

Providing incentives for better driving

A component part of this effort will be a monthly competition to help to incentivize employees to maintain high levels of safety both in their driving practices and vehicle maintenance. The first monthly winner of the competition was Mahmoud Hilal Ali Al Qarni who took the first prize cash award of RO100 with a 99.6% rating for the month of April. The six month long campaign will culminate with the announcement of the 'Driver of the Year' award in October 2008.

Bahwan DHL ESC, offers complete supply chain logistics solutions using the latest technologies and the best industry practices, customizing its services to support various industrial sectors, especially the oil and gas sector. The company is able to provide customers with both third and fourth party logistics solutions for the entire supply chain, ranging from consulting and design to management and execution.