OSHA’s Michaels targets texting while driving on the job
Noting that millions of workers’ jobs require them to drive, OSHA chief Dr. David Michaels is urging employers to enact policies that prohibit texting – a particularly dangerous part of the distracted driving “epidemic” that accounts for approximately 16 percent of traffic fatalities.
In “Work in Progress,” the U.S. Department of Labor blog, Michaels discussed an initiative launched a year ago by OSHA and the Department of Transportation to combat distracted driving.
“You might ask: Why OSHA? Why distracted driving?,” writes Michaels. “The answer: Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of worker fatalities year after year. There is no doubt that the grim consequences of distracted driving we observe in the general population are seen in work-related crashes as well.”