FACE Facts: Keep Employees in Motor Vehicles Safe by Preventing Distracted Driving and Ensuring Seat Belts Are Worn!

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Massachusetts. Department of Public Health
• Description:
  What happened in Massachusetts? Lots of people drive as a part of their job - some more than others. Motor vehicle crashes continue to be a leading cause of work-related death in Massachusetts and across the country. In the past four years (2013-2016), 36 workers have died in motor vehicle crashes while driving for work in Massachusetts. It's not just truck drivers who are dying in these crashes. Only 11 of these 36 victims were truck drivers. Many different jobs require employees to drive or be a passenger in a vehicle while at work. Some examples are: home health aides, landscapers, sales representatives, and police officers. How can employers keep workers safe while driving or riding in motor vehicles? Prevent distracted driving by: 1. Banning texting and hand-held phone use while driving for work (both work and personal phones). 2. Requiring employees to pull over in a safe location if they must text, look up directions, or make/answer a call. This includes texts or calls from management. 3. Preparing employees before implementing these policies by communicating: a. How distracted driving puts them at risk of a crash; b.That driving requires their full attention while they are on the road; and c.What action the company will take if they do not follow the policies. 4. Ensuring that employees program navigation devices (e.g., GPS, phones) before they start driving, and that these cannot be operated manually when the vehicle is in motion. Also, make sure a vehicle mount is used to secure the device and eliminate the need to hold it while driving. Require the use of seat belts at all times by all vehicle occupants. 1. Ensure that there are enough seats for each passenger and that each seat has a functioning seat belt. 2. Require more than one trip or an additional vehicle if there are more passengers than seats. Develop a Motor Vehicle Safety Program that includes policies on: 1. Training employees on the importance of being attentive while driving. 2. Routinely reminding employees that while behind the wheel, driving is their primary job. 3. Schedules that allow employees to obey speed limits, follow applicable hour-of-service regulations, and prevent drowsy driving. 4. Zero tolerance for speeding and aggressive driving practices. 5. Procedures for reporting and investigating crashes and vehicle breakdowns. 6. Routine maintenance procedures for employer provided vehicles. Also available in Spanish. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Accident Prevention
  • Accidents
  • Accidents, Occupational
  • Automobiles
  • Mortality
  • Occupational Health
  • Risk Assessment
  • Risk Factors
  • Safety
  • Staff Development
  More +
• Keywords:
  • Fatalities
  • Injuries
  • Accident analysis
  • Accident prevention
  • Safety
  • Safety education
  • Safety practices
  • Workers
  • Worker safety
  • Work environment
  More +
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Fact Sheet
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20053364
• Citation:
  Boston, MA: Massachusetts State Department of Public Health, 2017 Jul; :1-2
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Performing Organization:
  Massachusetts State Department of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  FACE facts: keep employees in motor vehicles safe by preventing distracted driving and ensuring seat belts are worn
• End Date:
  20260630
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228891/cdc_228891_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.63 MB]
• Collection(s):
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5f179cafaae35fccc9aa29aebbef0a2d75fa45319a68f5d4b91f1ec27e9f15426cfff9201f6668690484199f60a5928e8543c685cc03ab0b90a5242f9da27e44