Employer policies
In most countries having reliable statistic information, motor vehicle fatal accidents are the leading cause of occupational fatalities. As a result, many large companies have, or are defining, policies to ban or restrict the use of mobile phones by employees when driving for work purposes. A survey of company policies on car telephone use in the U.K. in 2000 indicated that large companies had, for the most part, policies to ban or restrict the use of mobile phones when driving for work purposes. At that time, most companies encouraged the use of hands-free kits. Since then, many companies have extended the ban to include the use of hands-free devices.
Between 2010 and 2013, the European Transport Safety Council, U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and U.S. National Safety Council all released recommendations that employers ban all cell phone use (including hands-free use) by employees while driving for work purposes. The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) went a step further to argue that employers that encourage or require workers to text while driving violate the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 that obligates employers to assure safe and healthy working conditions for workers .
Many national bodies are now encouraging employers to improve safe driving behavior among employees. This includes the "Drive Safely Work Week", developed by OSHA with a free tool kit available online and in the U.K. the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents "Road Safety Resources for Employers".
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References
- World Health Organization (2011) "Mobile Phone Use: A Growing Problem of Driver Distraction"
- DaCoTa (2012) "Driver Distraction" Deliverable 4.8f of the EC FP7 project DaCoTA, a product of the European Commission
- Hands Free Info "European cell phone, texting round up" updated December 2, 2013 http://handsfreeinfo.com/european-cell-phone-texting-roundup/
- National Transportation Safety Board Press Release 13-Dec-2011 "No call, no text, no update behind the wheel: NTSB calls for nationwide ban on PEDs while driving" http://www.ntsb.gov/news/2011/111213.html
- National Safety Council (U.S.) "Employers: End Distracted Driving" accessed 22-Jan-2014 http://www.nsc.org/safety_road/Distracted_Driving/Pages/EmployerPolicies.aspx#.UrFd3tIW3Sk
- United States Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration "OSHA's Distracted Driving Initiative" accessed 22-Jan-2014 https://www.osha.gov/distracted-driving/initiative.html