With more workers killed each year by motor vehicle crashes than any other cause, employers can help safeguard their employees and contractors by prohibiting the use of hand-held cell phones or texting while driving.

The Department of Transportation reports that in 2009 more than 5,400 people died in crashes and more than 500,000 were injured as the result of the driver being distracted.

Texting while driving has become such a prominent hazard that 34 states now ban text messaging for all drivers.

Here are some facts about the dangers of driving while distracted:

• Researchers report that texting while driving claimed more than 16,000 lives from 2001 to 2007.
  
  
• Reaction time is delayed for a driver talking on a cell phone as much as it is for a driver who is legally drunk.
  
  
• Drivers who are texting take their eyes off the road 400% more than when they are not texting.

Employers can take the following steps to protect workers and the public from distracted driving:

• Prohibit texting while driving at all times
  
  
• Establish work procedures that do not make it necessary for workers to text while driving
  
  
• Follow all state cell phone and text messaging laws
  
  
• Set up clear procedures for proper use of cell phones while traveling
  
  
• Incorporate safe communications into worker training

OSHA has created a series of resources — including a distracted driving website and a resource poster — geared towards helping employers develop programs that discourage and prevent workers from engaging in unsafe driving practices.

Help Make Job Site Safety a Priority With Video From NAHB BuilderBooks

The “Jobsite Safety Video,” available through NAHB BuilderBooks, is the first-ever job site safety video for home builders.

The video provides an overview of the key safety issues that residential builders and workers need to focus on to reduce accidents and injuries.

Based on the NAHB-OSHA Jobsite Safety Handbook, this DVD is intended to be used as part of an essential residential construction safety-training program and includes two 20-minute videos on one DVD.

To view or purchase this DVD online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.