As safety professionals, you no doubt urge your employees, friends and family members to drive safely. This is wise advice; but just how wise it is might surprise even you. All of us need to take it easy behind the wheel. If we don't, we could be headed for a wreck-not just on the roads but in our careers.

Driving Record as a Reflection of Character

"I hire character, and the motor vehicle report tells me a lot about character."

That's how Barry Nadell, senior vice president with Kroll Background Screening, sums up his approach to hiring at the executive and management level. Barry's attitude is typical of other business leaders. It's become common for employers and recruiters to conduct rigorous background checks on potential recruits.

The motor vehicle report is a big part of the background check. Along with searching for a criminal history, the Social Security Trace and reference checking, looking at the motor vehicle record constitutes one-quarter of what has emerged as the standard four-corner background check used in the corporate world to screen the character of job candidates.

What Your Driving Record Says About You

One reason motor vehicle reports are so commonly used is that you can get them instantly in 40 states. The motor vehicle report is also a repository of key information. For example, employers can use it to confirm the candidate's date of birth.

More importantly, a candidate's compliance with motor vehicle laws is a direct reflection of character. Employers are looking for red flags like DUI arrests, unpaid traffic tickets, failures to appear in court, possession of drugs, accidents and violations, arrests and outstanding warrants for the individual's arrest. Of course, felony DUI charges may also uncover charges relating to manslaughter and other serious charges.

Conclusion

Getting jobs in corporate America nowadays requires a demonstration not only of professional skills but character. Driving record is seen as a reflection of character. Thus, the candidate's motor vehicle record and history of compliance with motor vehicle laws is a matter of careful scrutiny for many corporate positions. And it is of particular importance if the position being sought is one that entails responsibility over the health and safety of others.

Wishing you career success and care on the roads,
Lauryn Franzoni
ExecuNet,
www.execunet.com

THIS DATE IN HISTORY

September 12, 1940

By Glenn Demby

The Hercules Company explosives plant in Kenville, NJ, covered more than 1,200 acres and was a great place for local residents to find jobs during the Great Depression. But it was also a dangerous place to work. Accidents at the plant were common. In March 1934, four workers were killed in a packing house explosion so strong that it reportedly broke every pane of window in the neighboring town. Five months later, another blast killed two and seriously injured three. But the worst was yet to come.

In fall 1940, with the U.S. preparing for war, the Hercules plant was operating at close to full capacity. At 1:30 in the afternoon of September 12, the plant was rocked by a series of explosions detonated by over 297,000 pounds of gunpowder. The blasts and subsequent fires leveled 20 buildings. Some claim that the blasts were felt as far away as Poughkeepsie in upstate New York.

The victims were rushed to nearby Dover Hospital. There wasn't enough room for them all, so many of the victims had to be laid out on the Hospital's front lawn. To make up for the lack of nurses, the Hospital brought in local students and the Boy Scouts. Workers spent days combing through the wreckage searching for bodies and survivors. The final toll: 51 dead and more than 200 seriously injured or burned.

Although Nazi sabotage was suspected, the precise cause of the explosions was never determined. Hercules re-opened in April 1941 and became a major producer of munitions during the Second World War. The plant later added rocket fuel to its repertoire and was thus able to remain in business during the Cold War and beyond.

Unfortunately, the Hercules plant also continued to experience explosions-although nothing like on the scale of September 1940. Even so, through the 1950s and 1960s, more than a dozen Hercules workers lost their lives in explosions. A 1989 explosion injured 20 and a 1994 blast sent four more workers to the hospital. The plant finally closed its doors in 1996.

Story Tools:  Email This Post  Print This Post Top