Page 11 - Grapevine May-June 2020

In The Winery

They drive for long periods of time, which can be 1) Consumed any alcoholic beverages
tiring, and they do a lot of lifting, carrying, and
walking when loading and unloading products. If 2) Taken any prescription, over the counter, or
that wasn’t enough, drivers carrying alcohol and illegal drugs or substances that may impair
cash may be at higher risk of robbery and assault. driving.
Recognizing these inherent hazards will help you
create internal policies and protocols to help keep • Pre-plan each day’s routes. Consider a daily
your team safe, while managing and hopefully meeting to discuss safety, expected weather
reducing the risk. and road conditions, and breaks for drivers.

Pair Your Wine with Safe Delivery • Consider restricting your delivery times to day-
light hours, and forbid employees from entering
Let’s review a few key practices for food delivery. someone’s home.
Most importantly, you need to communicate with
your team and establish expectations. Clearly iden- Once at the Delivery Location
tify what protocols need to be taken for both the
driver’s safety and that of their customer. Make • Avoid close contact with the customer.
sure drivers are vetted and qualified to drive and, if
not already in place, you should establish and main- • Use caller ID to help identify who is calling. This
tain a driver training and safety program. The fol- is especially important for wine deliveries, as
lowing are certain practices related to wine delivery the caller ID can trace the location of the cus-
and driver safety. You can use these tips to develop tomer.
a standardized plan tailored to your winery’s needs.
Any plan developed by you should comply with any • Look out for slip, trip, and fall hazards.
applicable law, therefore, we encourage you work
with your legal representative when developing a • Many customers have animals at home. Coach
plan. your drivers to knock on the door or ring the

Common Safety Protocols

• Ensure each vehicle is clean, both inside and out
and is properly maintained.

• Have a clear policy for workers to tell a manager
when they are sick, and keep an on-call system
for workers in case someone calls in sick.

• Have a strict policy that no one, other than
employees, is allowed in the vehicle during wine
deliveries.

• Seat belts must be worn at all times when driv-
ing. It is easy to overlook this when making fre-
quent stops.

• All employees need to review and sign a copy
of your driver safety rules, which at a minimum
should include not driving a vehicle if they have:

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