RC-389/589; FLEET RISK CONTROL
THREE CREDITS
RISK CONTROL CENTER
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-STOUT
MENOMONIE, WISCONSIN
SPRING 2008
Meeting Time
Mondays, 4 pm to 6:50 pm, Room 106, Jarvis Hall
Instructor
Dr. Brian J. Finder, CIH
125 Science Wing
Telephone: 232-1422
E-MAIL: finderb@uwstout.edu
Print Resources
National Safety Council. Motor Fleet Safety Manual. 4th Ed. (available at
Instructional Resources)
J.J. Keller. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (available at
Bookstore)
Mottola, F. R., Don't Feed the Monster - Empowerment Habits
AAA Digest of Motor Laws
Additional materials will be distributed throughout the class.
Course Purpose
The purpose of this course is to study management systems and
technical-based considerations necessary to control the risks associated with
motor fleet operations.
Objectives
After successful completion of the course, the student will be
able to:
Evaluate loss potential associated with a fleet operation (rail, maritime, aviation, over-the-road).
Identify the responsibilities/activities associated with supervising and providing risk management support for a fleet operation.
Analyze transportation-related accidents in order to ascertain the multi-causal concept of loss and the multi-solution concept of loss prevention.
Identify the fundamental management-based areas of risk potential and develop internal-based standards to prevent the recurrence of loss.
Interpret governmental regulations associated with commercial fleet operations.
Practice the multi-causation approach of systematically identifying, analyzing, and eliminating risk factors which influence the occurrence motor fleet losses.
Critically evaluate and recommend systems which address fleet exposures.
Distinguish the elements required to effectively minimize the risks associated with managing an incidental fleet.
Evaluation
Federal Transportation Safety Article Review (6%) On the first day of class, students will review an article on transportation safety and provide answers to specific questions related to the article.
Herald of Free Enterprise Accident Analysis (8%) Each student will review a classic maritime fleet disaster and perform an analysis of the immediate causes, basic underlying causes, and primary management-related causes of the incident.
Ishikawa (e.g., cause-effect) Analysis (8%) Assembling in teams three to four individuals, students will perform an Ishikawa analysis on a selected transportation disaster.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations Driver's Written Exam (8%) A take-home open-book written examination will be administered to evaluate the students' ability to interpret specific regulations affecting the commercial motor vehicle industry.
Two Written Examinations (68%) There will be at least two formal examinations spread throughout the semester which will consist of short answer and essay-type questions.
Class Participation (2%) This form of evaluation will focus on student attendance, indication of class assignment preparation, and discussion within class.
Graduate Students
All graduate students will be expected to complete an additional assignment where they will, in the true form of a consultant, audit the risk control systems (those that do exist as well as should be in place) and perform a hazard recognition evaluation of the corresponding facility on a fleet operation of their choice. This assignment may be performed in teams of no more than two students and the results must be professionally written in a memo format to the organization’s contact person. Specific components of this audit should include:
1. The purpose of the audit
2. A brief sketch of the organization as well as it's perceived major risks.
3. An evaluation of risk control-related practices in place. At a minimum, the practices to be reviewed by the auditing team would include top management leadership and support, risk assessment and standards development, standards communication and enforcement, accident reporting and analysis, emergency response, fleet performance measurement, driver behavior promotion, driver qualification and hiring, driver training, driver substance abuse testing, vehicle maintenance/ inspection/ specking, and driver hours of service.
4. Any identified deficiencies in established systems
5. Recommendations for further system refinement/development,
6. Any specific hazards identified during the facility evaluation, and
7. Recommendations for abating identified hazards.The course instructor must receive a copy of the student’s completed audit on 5/5/08. Time allowing, each team will provide the class with a brief overview of their audit (e.g., approx. 10 minutes).
Instructor's Teaching Philosophy
The instructor's philosophy towards teaching adults is that a two-way street
exists in the classroom for sharing factual information and perceptions. Following are the
instructor's expectations of the students:
Attend all scheduled class meetings.
Be in their chair and ready at the beginning of the class time.
Complete assigned readings and be prepared to discuss such material intelligently.
Not be under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances during work/class times
Not be preoccupied with a laptop computer unless otherwise required in class
Complete required assignments on-time and in a quality manner.
Do not speak in class unless discussion is relevant to current topic.
Be friendly and respectful to fellow students.
Contribute their own knowledge, expertise, and viewpoints in class.
Have the Student Advisement Center contact the instructor if legitimate special needs exist.
Following are what the students can expect from the instructor:
Present the course content in an orderly fashion.
Be prepared at each class
Present himself and conduct the class in a respectful manner.
Begin and end class on time.
Speak clearly and give directions in a concise manner.
Not be under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances during work/class times
Provide the students with applicable and current information
Provide the students with real-life experiences
Listen to students and attempt to answer their questions thoroughly.
Follow up on unanswered student questions by the next class period.
Grade students' assignments fairly and consistently
Grading
Grades are based on total points earned by the following breakdown:
% of Possible Points Grade
> 94.5% A
< 94.5 & > 91.0 A-
< 91.0 & > 87.5 B+
< 87.5 & > 84.5 B
< 84.5 & > 81.0 B-
< 81.0 & > 77.5 C+
< 77.5 & > 74.5 C
< 74.5 & > 71.0 C-
< 71.0 & > 67.5 D+
< 67.5 & > 64.5 D
< 64.5 & > 61.0 D-
< 61.0 FThe instructor will not permit extra credit work to be performed in order to raise a student's grade level. If a student's performance is adequate for established evaluation criteria, there should not be any need for extra credit.
Attendance
While the instructor fully understands that select life-related events are of significant importance, the students' future success is directly related to his/her ability to attend and participate in all scheduled class meetings. Consequently, attendance will be taken at every class meeting. Students who must miss a class on the day of a test must contact the instructor PRIOR to the absence. Unexcused absences on test days or special activity days will result in no recorded grade for the test or graded activity.
Stout Home Page | Safety / Risk Control Courses | Fleet Risk
Control
Brian J. Finder, Risk Control Center
University of Wisconsin-Stout
finderb@uwstout.edu
Updated: January 17, 2008