An NAHB safety study reports that 14% of home building industry deaths were due to transportation accidents.

June is National Safety Month, and the National Safety Council (NSC) is offering free educational materials on topics such as distracted driving, ladder safety, proper lifting and slips, trips and falls — all safety issues that affect residential construction workers.

The council’s safety posters, injury prevention tip sheets, weekly webinars and more are designed to help reduce common causes of injury and death at home and in the workplace.

Safe driving is important for construction workers — who often drive vehicles as part of their work duties. NAHB’s “Residential Construction Industry Fatalities, 2003-2006” study reported that 14% of home building industry deaths were due to transportation accidents. To view the full study, visit www.nahb.org/fatalitystudy.

An estimated 28% of all traffic crashes are caused by drivers using cell phones and texting, according to the NSC.

To reduce these crashes, the “Acting on Safety” poster recommends that drivers:

• Silence their cell phone before beginning to drive
• Set their voicemail to indicate that they are driving and cannot take calls
• Stop texting while driving
• Pull over and park if a call is absolutely necessary
• Encourage friends and families to leave phones out of reach while driving

For companies that do not have a cell phone use policy, the NSC also has a free Cell Phone Policy Kit for employers. It includes ready-to-use materials to help show employers why a cell phone policy is necessary as well as tools that can help them communicate about crash risks and build employee buy-in. To view the kit, click here.

NAHB  resources include onsite training, videos and publications to help employers and employees educate themselves on proper safety precautions while participating in any potentially dangerous activities both on and off the job.

All of NAHB’s safety resources are available through NAHB BuilderBooks at www.builderbooks.com/safety.

For more information on National Safety Month, along with the free downloadable resources in both English and Spanish, visit www.nsc.org/nsm.

For information on NAHB safety training programs, e-mail Marcus Odorizzi at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8590.

Boost Job Site Safety With Fall Protection Training Products

In an effort to increase job site safety and reduce the chance of job related accidents, NAHB has produced the “Fall Protection Video, English-Spanish” and “NAHB-OSHA Fall Protection Handbook, English-Spanish.”

Both are available through BuilderBooks.com.

The 30-minute “Fall Protection Video, English-Spanish” can be used by builders to train workers to use safe work practices that eliminate fall hazards and comply with OSHA fall-protection standards.

The “NAHB-OSHA Fall Protection Handbook, English-Spanish” provides guidelines for creating a written fall-protection plan and identifying safe work practices that can prevent costly accidents and injuries. Written with clear text, photographs and illustrations, the book serves as a user-friendly resource for promoting safety on any job site.

To purchase the handbook and video online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.