shhh! Accidents like that are kept a secret within FedEx. Instead of using them as a learning tool, it is swept under the rug. If we don't talk about it, it didn't happen right?
Great point. This kind of accident absolutely should be used as a learning tool, but here is what's really happening. As soon as this accident happened, FedEx Legal was on the job making sure that exposure to any liability would be minimized and that the courier would be blamed. It sounds like the accident was preventable and that the courier was at-fault, but they want to make sure. Next, FedEx PR swings into action to minimize the spread of information. Since the accident was on-the-job it will fall under Oklahoma's worker's comp laws, meaning that the employee's family won't be getting a settlement beyond basic life insurance. The lowest priority is the employee. Sure, FedEx will retire their route and put a banner on the wall, send cheap flowers and a card...the usual. It was actually nice that they covered routes so fellow employees could attend the service.
Once all of this is done, there is no reason that the accident couldn't be used as a learning tool. There's nothing like a picture or video of a crushed FedEx vehicle to drive home the point that this can happen to anyone at any time. Was the courier texting, distracted by using the PowerPad etc. or did they just make a mistake and not properly scan the situation? But they don't want that revealed, because it could potentially be used against them because they have potentially created an "unsafe work environment". Given today's Express expectations, the work environment has definitely become unsafe.
They don't want us to know how dangerous this job can be, nor do they want to air their dirty laundry, especially now that the accident rates are way up due to the insane push for productivity underway. They just want it to go away, like it didn't happen.
It really eats at me to hear of someone getting hurt or killed at FedEx because I know what the company is doing right now, and to think that someone died or was injured badly just so they could deliver faster is just plain WRONG. Don't play their game...BE SAFE.