The National Safety Council designates April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month, a time to draw attention to the hazards of using cell phones while driving. As the NSC notes, phone use while driving, including texting and reading social media, has contributed to thousands of highway deaths. Employers can play a big role in protecting workers who drive for their job. The NSC encourages employers to download its employer cell phone policy toolkit and to read the Cummins cell phone policy case study* . In addition, NSC is offering its online Defensive Driving Class at no charge from April 18 to 24. To enroll in the class, go to NSC’s online registration form and enter “distracted” as the access code.
"OSHA reminds employers that they have a responsibility to protect their workers by prohibiting texting while driving. It is a violation of the OSH Act for employers to require workers to text while driving, create incentives that encourage or condone it, or structure work so that texting while driving is a practical necessity for workers to carry out their job. For more information, please see OSHA’s Distracted Driving brochure*.
