Storm Preparedness on the Road

July 16, 2021

Key Point

Vehicles and roadways can be particularly dangerous during severe weather.
While tornadoes often receive the most attention in relation to severe-weather, flooding causes more fatalities than any other storm-related hazard, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). And more than half of all flood-related deaths result from motorists driving into floodwaters (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Heavy rainfall can quickly cause roadway flooding. Twelve inches of water can carry away most cars, and 2 feet will float most pickup trucks and SUV’s.
Even heavy rain presents significant risks on the road as 80 percent of driving decisions are based on visibility (The Weather Channel) and downpours result in vehicles hydroplaning (sliding uncontrollably due to a layer of water preventing tires contacting the road).
Hail during severe thunderstorms can be as large as softballs and, falling at more than 100 mph, can break vehicle glass.
Thunderstorm winds can be as strong as those in tornadoes. They can overturn any vehicle, and vans and trailers are particularly vulnerable.
People on the road in vehicles are among the three groups most at risk during a tornado (the others are people outdoors and those in mobile homes) according to NOAA. Tornadoes can hurl vehicles into obstacles and carry them in the winds as far as a quarter mile.
A well-communicated and followed storm emergency plan can prevent employees from being on the road — or quickly get them off it and into safer shelter — during severe weather.

Employers’ and supervisors’ checklist

Be aware that federal OSHA’s General Duty Clause requires you to provide workplaces free from recognized hazards – including those associated with severe weather – likely to cause death or serious physical harm.
Ensure professional mechanics conduct regular safety checks of company vehicles and that these vehicles are maintained according to manufacturers’ recommendations. Make sure employees check that seatbelts, headlights and other vehicle/trailer lights are working properly prior to each trip, and replace windshield wipers every six months.
Equip vehicles with emergency supplies, such as first-aid kits, safety flares, warning triangles, flashlights, blankets, and booster cables.
Train all employees who might drive (as part of their job duties) in safe, cautious driving techniques and what to do in case of inclement weather.
Teach employees the proper way to secure equipment, tools, plants, fuels, and chemicals. These can become projectiles or pose other hazards, and your firm could be liable for injuries and damages if they were not adequately secured.
Develop a storm emergency plan as part of a general emergency action plan that addresses all emergency situations your company and employees could face. Underfederal OSHA regulations, most firms with more than 10 employees must have a written emergency-action plan meeting requirements under 29 CFR 1910.38. The agency allows smaller companies to communicate their plans orally. For assistance creating general emergency-action plans, see OSHA’s Emergency Action Plan Checklist and ready.gov/planning.
Include OSHA-advised components in storm emergency plans: information on conditions that will activate the plan; outline of your chain of command; details on suitable places to take shelter; evacuation procedures and routes (floods and hurricanes); methods for ensuring all personnel are accounted for; and procedures for addressing hazardous materials. The plan should describe conditions under which employees should or should not travel and what they should do if they encounter severe weather while travelling.
Be aware of weather forecasts in all areas where employees might travel. Create a warning system to alert workers when they should not be on roadways. Develop a procedure to account for crews travelling when severe weather arises. Fully explain the warning system and accounting procedure in your emergency action plan.
Review the plan with employees when it’s put in place, at least annually thereafter, and whenever it’s updated (regularly evaluate the plan and make necessary changes). Employees should know the overall plan as well as their specific roles in it. Make learning the plan part of new employees’ training.
Give all employees a copy of the plan and make sure it’s in every company vehicle and every vehicle employees use for transportation while on the job.
Appoint someone on each crew to be a weather watcher. If you are a supervisor or crew leader, this could be yourself, or you could assign this position to a crew member. Assign and train alternates in case the weather watcher is not present. When a crew is preparing to travel and during travel, the weather watcher should:
1. -Review forecasts for the current location, the entire route and the destination. This can be done using NOAA weather radios, smartphone applications and vehicle radios. National Weather Service (NWS) advisories, watches and warnings can be monitored at weather.gov/cle. -----Thunderstorm and severe-weather forecasts are also at spc.noaa.gov.
2. -Know the names of all counties the crew will be travelling in/through. NWS severe-weather warnings are issued based on counties
3. -Keep a constant eye on the weather. Be on the lookout for dark clouds, increased wind, thunder, lightning, and heavy rainfall.
4. -Notify the crew leader or supervisor of predicted weather hazards.
5. -Notify the rest of the crew that travel may be delayed or stopped.
6. -After crew members have moved to a safe place, continue monitoring the weather and updating management personnel so they can make an informed decision about when the crew should resume travel.
Evaluate your storm emergency plan every time it goes into action and make changes based on lessons learned.

Employee dos and don’ts
Do:

Make sure you or another member of your crew is serving as a weather watcher at all times. (See weather-watcher duties above.)
Follow your company’s storm emergency plan and all training related to safe driving.
Properly secure equipment, tools, chemicals, etc. in pickup beds or on trailers.
Understand the most dangerous time for driving during rain is right after the precipitation begins. Oil and anti-freeze that have dripped onto the pavement rise to the surface, making the road slippery and hydroplaning more likely.
If you encounter a storm or heavy rain while driving, make sure the headlights are on and try to safely exit the roadway and park the vehicle. Stay in the vehicle and turn on emergency flashers until the heavy rain ends. If you hear thunder or see lightning, seek shelter in a fully enclosed building with plumbing and wiring. If such shelter is not available, close vehicle windows and avoid touching metal or other surfaces that conduct electricity.
If you encounter strong winds while driving, exit the road as described above, using extra caution near trailers, vans and vehicles carrying lightweight cargo. Find a safe building where the crew can shelter. This could be a truck stop or convenience store.
If excessive rainfall could lead to flooding, exit roadways immediately. Flash floods can occur within a few minutes after hours of excessive rainfall.
If floodwaters begin to rise around the vehicle and you cannot drive safely to higher ground, quickly abandon the vehicle and move to higher ground. Do this when water is not more than a few inches deep.
If the vehicle is swept into moving water, stay in the vehicle. If water rises inside it, move to the roof.
Learn the warning signs of tornadoes: dark, often greenish clouds; wall clouds — isolated lowering of a cloud base; debris clouds; large hail; funnel clouds — rotating extensions of the cloud base; and a roaring noise.
If you face a tornado threat while on the road, know your best course of action will depend on your particular circumstances. If a tornado is possible in the area, you should exit the roadway and find a substantial building where the crew can take shelter. If you see a tornado forming or approaching and have time, do this as well.
If you encounter flying debris while driving and a sturdy building isn’t available, the American Red Cross advises using your judgment in choosing one of two options: (1) Stay in the vehicle with your seat belt buckled. Put your head below window level, covering it with your arms, hands and a blanket, if possible. (2) If you can safely get significantly lower than the level of the roadway, exit the vehicle and lie in that area, covering your head with your arms and hands. Get away from the vehicle as well as any other potential projectiles.

Don’t:

Travel if a crew leader/supervisor or weather watcher tells you not to.
Use cruise control or heavy braking when driving on a wet roadway. You will likely lose traction.
Park underneath highway overpasses or bridges to take shelter from hail. You could cause a traffic jam that prevents others from reaching shelter and blocks emergency vehicles. Exit the roadway, find a sturdy building where the crew can shelter, if possible, or find shelter at a carwash or under an awning.
Take shelter from tornadoes in carports, open structures or under highway overpasses. While many people think overpasses offer security, NOAA cautions that you are in an open area with virtually no protection.
Drive around any roadway barriers, including those warning roads are flooded.
Drive through any area where water covers the road. Any time you come to a flooded roadway, turn around. Depth is difficult to determine, partly because the roadbed could be washed out beneath the water. And because it can’t be seen, people underestimate the force and power of moving water.
Exit your vehicle and walk through a flooded area. Six inches of moving water can cause you to fall. If you must walk in water, do so where it is not moving. Use a stick to check the firmness of the ground. Even good swimmers are easily overcome by swift-moving water.
Park a vehicle along a stream, river or creek.

Neither NALP nor its employees/contractors make any representation or warranties, express or implied, regarding the use of or reliance on the information provided herewith, regardless of its format or means of transmission. Readers assume sole responsibility for compliance with safety requirements. NALP is not responsible for and expressly disclaims all liability or damages of any kind arising out of the use, reference to or reliance on any information contained within this publication.

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