Employees have one job when they’re behind the wheel: driving. So, when NiSource instituted a policy to eliminate mobile device use while driving, it was a big move, but one that was absolutely necessary. BY DAVE MONTE & PHIL WILSON
Why was an energy company asked to join industry safety leaders and participate in a nationwide discussion on distracted driving hosted by the National Transportation Safety Board?
Simple. Because we told our employees to put away their phones while driving.
NiSource is part of a small but growing number of companies that have eliminated mobile phone use while driving. Yes, that means employees are not allowed to use their mobile devices while driving—including hands-free devices. It was a big move, but one that was absolutely necessary.
Our employees have one job when they’re behind the wheel—driving.
Distracted driving claimed 3,477 lives and injured 391,000 others in 2015, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. With more than 60 million miles driven each year by NiSource employees on company business, we knew we needed to take a stand on distracted driving. Our 8,000 employees and their families—and everyone else on the road—deserve it.
The change means less distractions for our employees, so they can drive defensively and avoid other distracted drivers.
According to the National Safety Council, 2016 was the deadliest year on U.S. roadways since 2007. While the country may have experienced its highest injury and fatality rates last year, 2016 proved to be a great year for NiSource, which had its best year in safe driving performance (a 13 percent improvement over 2015). Programs including the elimination of mobile devices, along with integrated GPS/diagnostics, enhanced driver training and a back-in/pull-through policy, have helped diminish accidents and made us more aware of risks outside of our control. Since 2005, our preventable vehicle accidents have declined more than 50 percent.
The change was not something we took lightly. It started with our most senior executives. They took a “test drive” and applied the policy to their day-to-day lives six months before we introduced it to employees. We all realized we had become accustomed to driving and talking on the phone as part of a normal workday and were not recognizing the risks we were taking. This was a difficult change because it affected how we thought about our workday, how we communicated and how we managed time.
This test drive of the policy also made us aware that we had been creating expectations for employees to call into conference calls and communicate while driving. Employees felt they had to be responsive when called, even when behind the wheel, and that unintended expectation could have resulted in tragedy.
Not only did we make it OK not to take a call while driving, but we also went a step further and made it an expectation that employees should never take a call while driving. Driving is work and requires everyone’s full attention.
You might be asking how this policy applies to emergency situations. We are an emergency response organization, which means our customers depend on us to respond quickly. But during these critical times, we need to arrive safely and not endanger ourselves or others through unsafe driving practices. Emergency response is about arriving as safely and as quickly as possible, without driving and talking, speeding or taking chances while driving. We want our customers to know that safety is our top consideration—and that includes focusing on driving safely, without distractions, to get to their home or business.
Culture change isn’t easy. There was a broad communications effort around this policy change, including asking our leaders to discuss it directly with their teams, publicizing it through stories and videos on our internal channels, and adding an online training course through our Learning Management System. To help educate our external partners and customers, we also published stories on nisource.com and the NiSource LinkedIn page.
At the NTSB’s roundtable, there was great discussion around the efforts to eliminate distractions while driving, and we also heard emotional commentary from families who have been affected by distracted driving.
Those stories reinforced that while the policy meant big change across NiSource, it was one that was very important. Eliminating mobile device usage while driving has made an impact that reaches well beyond our employees and extends to the communities we serve.
Fewer distractions and more focus lead to keeping our roads safer. This is just one way we’re trying to change the conversation and the expectations about distracted driving.
Since the launch of our mobile driving policy, we have been questioned about our approach by people who are seeking the same goal, by those who were taken aback by the total ban (including some employees) and by those who have applauded us for taking action. Regardless of the comments, we’re glad to be leading the way in eliminating mobile device distractions. It’s part of who we are—relentless champions for safety.
Dave Monte is senior vice president of Safety, Environmental and Training at NiSource, and Phil Wilson is vice president and general manager of Columbia Gas in Virginia. NiSource is the parent company of Columbia Gas and NIPSCO.
