Shell's Safety Culture and Big Challenges on the Road during Songkran

The latest report released by the World Health Organization in December 2018 indicates that Thailand now tops the rankings as the country with the highest death rate for road accidents in Asia. Every year, road accidents claims 20,0000 lives, or an average of 60 deaths every day, putting the road traffic fatality rate at 36.2 per 100,000 population, causing estimated economic loss of THB 200 billion per annum. Road safety data show that almost 90% of the causes of accidents are related to risky driving behaviours. Studies reveal that the three primary causes of road traffic accidents in Thailand are: drivers’ behaviours; the interaction between people, vehicles, roadways, and the environment; and beliefs, norms, and law enforcement.*

“Shell continues to promote road safety awareness, especially ahead of long holidays like Songkran or New Year, when millions of people travel home. More people mean more chance of accidents. Having worked for a period of time on this issue, and combined with our programmes and studies on safety, we have been able to review new solutions for enhancing road safety that could be more sustainable than existing ones. We have also identified measures that can help us achieve our goal to minimize road accidents as well as loss of lives and property. This is because Shell wants everybody to return home safely every day,” said Asada Harinsuit, Chairman of The Shell Company of Thailand Limited, as he spoke about Shell Thailand’s aim to raise road safety standards and the company’s participation in solving road accidents in a more sustainable way.

Shell modified its “Road Safety” operational guidelines in 2018, and this is the second year in which the company has supported the “You are Safe, All Safe” project, which is being conducted in cooperation with relevant parties over a three-year period, from 2018 to 2020.

The project, which aims to promote road safety systematically, covers five areas, including building awareness, cultivating safety culture, developing defensive driving skills for employees in Shell’s supply chain, promoting law enforcement, and enhancing roadway environments. The project involves a trilateral working group, comprised of public, private, and civil society organizations, and is driven on a continual basis through collaboration with national and global alliances, including the Department of Land Transport, the Road Safety Research Center, and the Global Road Safety Partnership.

Safety starts from ourselves every day we do business

Last year, programs were initiated and sustained in several areas to build safety awareness and encourage collaboration, especially in the area of road safety. At Shell, employees’ driving skills have been improved through a combination of driving simulation tools used for drivers throughout Shell’s supply chain. This helped drivers to better deal with unexpected situations or immediate events on the road, as well as develop products and services that encourage safety cultures.

Shell’s efficient road safety management system and contractor safety management is higher than the standards set by law and are measured with clear targets (e.g., holding preventive training and practicing safe driving skills for 5,000 drivers in Shell’s supply chain within three years).

In product development, Shell’s products, such as bitumen incorporate the company’s safety focus by providing functionalities such as better drainage and adhesion qualities to ensure safe road infrastructure. Shell also promotes its service stations as rest areas after a long drive for the safety of drivers and motorcyclists. Other efforts include reductions in the usage of transport vehicles by identifying new modes of product transportation and expanding fuel pipelines.