Workplace vehicle accidents in Minnesota should be a concern for employees and employers. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, employees are most likely to die due to vehicle accidents while on the clock than from any other type of worksite accident. These deaths can be greatly reduced by following guidelines outlined by OSHA for safe vehicle use.
The biggest piece of advice OSHA offers is all employees inside a vehicle should wear their seat belt at all times. The laws in every state back this up. These safety devices are critical because they can save lives. It’s been shown that they reduce the chances of dying by 60 and 45 percent when riding in trucks or SUVs and cars, respectively.
OSHA has some strict standards for employers to help ensure they are doing everything they can to provide safe vehicles and situations for their employees. Employers should create written agreements regarding safe driving that employees must sign, conduct driving record checks, have a set disciplinary process for reckless or bad driving incidents and take the time to select safe and reliable vehicles. They should also provide safe driver training to employees.
Employers should commit time to inspecting all company vehicles to ensure they are operating properly. Vehicles that are not in good working condition should be maintenanced as soon as possible, and no employees should drive them until they are fixed. Time should be taken to go over company policies with employees and to ensure they understand them. Employers need to take responsibility and teach employees they must do so too in order to reduce workplace vehicle accidents.