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Work-related Roadway Crashes:
Prevention Strategies for Employers
Roadway crashes are the leading
cause of
occupational fatalities in the U.S.
March 2004
- Between 1992 and 2001, 13,337 civilian workers died in roadway
crashes, an average of 4 deaths each day. Roadway crashes
led all other causes, making up 22% of workplace deaths, compared
with 13% from homicide and 10% from falls (Bureau of Labor
Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries).
In 2000, lost wages and benefits for crash
victims (occupational and non-occupational) were $61 billion.
Costs to employers due to the loss or absence of an employee
from work accounted for $4.6 billion more (National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration). For employers and victims,
a workplace crash can have far-reaching financial, medical,
and legal consequences.
Who is at risk?
Anyone who operates a motor vehicle as part
of his or her job is at risk of being involved in a roadway
crash.
In 2001, nearly 4.2 million U.S. workers
were motor vehicle operators; 73% were truck drivers. Roadway
crashes are by far the leading cause of death for transport
workers. Millions of other workers who are not full-time professional
drivers operate company or personal vehicles for deliveries,
sales and repair calls, client visits, and many other tasks.
Roadway crashes are also the leading cause of death for workers
in clerical and professional specialty jobs, and the second
leading cause for executives, sales workers, and technicians.
(Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey and
Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries).
Actions of other motorists may cause
work-related crashes
During a non-emergency medical transport,
a 26-year-old emergency medical technician (EMT) died when
the ambulance she was in was struck head-on by a pickup truck
traveling in excess of 70 miles per hour in the wrong lane
of a two-lane roadway. Attending a patient, the EMT was unrestrained
when the incident occurred. The EMT struck the front bulkhead
and died of head and chest injuries en route to the hospital.
What can employers do?
Unlike other workplaces, the roadway is
not a closed environment. Preventing work-related roadway
crashes requires strategies that combine traffic safety principles
and sound safety management practices. Although employers
cannot control roadway conditions, they can promote safe driving
behavior by providing safety information to workers and by
setting and enforcing driver safety policies. Crashes are
not an unavoidable part of doing business. Employers can take
steps to protect their employees and their companies
Policies
- Assign a key member of the management team responsibility
and authority to set and enforce comprehensive driver safety
policy.
- Enforce mandatory seat belt use.
- Do not require workers to drive irregular hours or far
beyond their normal working hours.
- Do not require workers to conduct business on a cell phone
while driving.
- Develop work schedules that allow employees to obey speed
limits and to follow applicable hours-of-service regulations.
Fleet Management
- Adopt a structured vehicle maintenance program.
- Provide company vehicles that offer the highest possible
levels of occupant protection.
Safety Programs
- Teach workers strategies for recognizing and managing
driver fatigue and in-vehicle distractions.
- Provide training to workers operating specialized motor
vehicles or equipment.
- Emphasize to workers the need to follow safe driving practices
on and off the job.
Driver Performance
- Ensure that workers assigned to
drive on the job have a valid driver's license and one that
is appropriate for the type of vehicle to be driven.
- Check driving records of prospective
employees, and perform periodic rechecks after hiring.
- Maintain complete and accurate
records of workers' driving performance.
from National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety
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