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Page last reviewed: 09/28/2007
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- The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) has partnered with the Department of Transportation in Drive Safely Work Week 2012. They also provide distracted driving resources and meaningful education and awareness activities to keep workers safe.
- Safe Driving Practices for Employees [27 KB PDF*, 2 pages]. OSHA Quick Card. Provides a list of safe driving practices in English and Spanish.
- Guidelines for Employers to Reduce Motor Vehicle Crashes. OSHA/National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)/Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) Publication. Also available as a 251 KB PDF, 35 pages. Represents a joint effort to reduce motor vehicle-related deaths and injuries in the nation's workforce.
- Motor Vehicle Safety Facts [409 KB PDF*, 1 page]. OSHA Fact Sheet. OSHA in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched a promotional campaign, "Every Belt - Every Ride" at the National Safety Congress.
- Motor Vehicle Safety Symposium Agenda. OSHA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), (2004). Also available as a 342 KB PDF, 1 page. Provides the agenda for the joint OSHA/NHTSA Safety Symposium held at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in New Orleans, LA. There were panel discussions on the value of Seat Belt Programs and how to manage them effectively.
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Motor Vehicle Safety
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics'
Table A-6. Fatal occupational injuries resulting from transportation incidents and homicides by occupation, All United States, 2010 [181 KB PDF, 15 pages], more than 1,766 deaths a year result from occupational transportation incidents. That number is more than 38 percent of the 4,547 annual number of fatalities from occupational injuries. While fatal highway incidents remained the most frequent type of fatal work-related event, transportation incidents decreased slightly in 2010 relative to 2009, but still accounted for nearly 2 out of every 5 fatal work injuries in 2010. More... [152 KB PDF, 15 pages] (2012, September 20).
OSHA requirements for the motor vehicle industry are addressed in specific standards for agriculture and marine terminals.
Standards
This section highlights OSHA standards, standard interpretations (official interpretation of the standards), and other federal standards related to motor vehicle safety.
OSHA
Note: Twenty-five states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have OSHA-approved State Plans and have adopted their own standards and enforcement policies. For the most part, these States adopt standards that are identical to Federal OSHA. However, some States have adopted different standards applicable to this topic or may have different enforcement policies.
Agriculture (29 CFR 1928)
- 1928 Subpart C, Employee operating instruction
- 1928.51,
Agriculture, Roll-over protective structures (ROPS) for tractors used in agricultural operations.
Marine Terminals (29 CFR 1917)
Standard Interpretations
Other Federal
Note: These are NOT OSHA regulations.
However, they do provide guidance from their originating organizations related
to worker protection.
US Department of Labor (DOL)
- 29 CFR Part 500 Subpart D, Motor Vehicle Safety and Insurance for Transportation of Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Workers, Housing Safety and Health for Migrant Workers, Volume: 3, (2012, July 1). The following are topics related to vehicle safety:
- 500.100, Vehicle safety obligations. Motor Vehicle Safety
- 500.101, Promulgation and adoption of vehicle standards
- 500.102, Applicability of vehicle safety standards
- 500.103, Activities not subject to vehicle safety standards
- 500.104, Department of Labor standards for passenger automobiles and station
wagons and transportation of seventy-five miles or less
- 500.105, DOT standards adopted by the Secretary
US Department of Transportation (DOT)
Construction
For information related to construction, see OSHA's Motor Vehicle Safety - Construction Safety and Health Topics Page.
Hazards and Solutions
Most of the occupational fatalities occur on public
highways where there are seat belt requirements and traffic laws between the
hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. The following references aid in recognizing motor
vehicle hazards, and provide examples of possible solutions.
Hazard Recognition
- Motor Vehicle Safety. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Workplace Safety and Health Topic. Provides information on motor
vehicle-related topics such as general information, crash statistics, and
more. The risk of roadway crashes associated with on-the-job operation of
motor vehicles affects millions of US workers. Data from the Bureau of
Labor Statistics show that in 2009, nearly 3.6 million workers in the
U.S. were classified as motor vehicle operators. Nearly 43% (1.55 million)
of these motor vehicle operators were employed as heavy truck (including
tractor-trailer) drivers. More...
- Work-Related Roadway Crashes. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2004-137, (2004, March). Includes information on
background and trends, worker characteristics, industry and occupation
characteristics, and more. From 1992 through 2001, roadway crashes were
the leading cause of occupational fatalities in the US, accounting for
13,337 civilian worker deaths (22% of all injury-related deaths).
- Ways
to Prevent Job-Related Roadway Deaths, Critical Research Areas Identified by NIOSH.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) NIOSH update, (2003,
November 6). Employee deaths in roadway crashes increased by 18.7
percent from 1992 to 2000, totaling 11,952 over the nine-year period.
- The Economic Burden of Traffic Crashes on Employers: Costs by State and
Industry and by Alcohol and Restraint Use. National Highway Safety
and Traffic Administration (NHSTA). Reports that by
preventing motor vehicle crashes, the potential health care savings are
substantial. Motor vehicle injury costs to employers are included in this
report on a nationwide, state-by-state, and industry basis.
- Fatigue, Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Medical Factors in Fatal-to-the-Driver Heavy Crashes. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Aircraft Accident Report NTSB Number: SS-90/01
NTIS Number: PB90-917002, (Adopted 1990, February 5). From
NTSB toxicological tests, the Safety Board found that 33 percent of the
fatally injured drivers tested positive for alcohol and other drugs of
abuse. Fatigue and fatigue-drug interactions were involved in more
fatalities in this study than alcohol and other drugs of abuse alone. A
disproportionately high percentage of drivers who used drugs are single,
separated or divorced.
- Highway Work Zones are potentially hazardous for both motor vehicle
drivers and the personnel working in the zone. For additional information on these hazards
and controls, see OSHA's Highway Work Zones and Signs, Signals, and Barricades Safety and Health Topics Page.
Possible Solutions
- National Survey of Distracted and Drowsy Driving.
US Department of Transportation (DOT), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Number 279, (2003, July). Reports
that driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes and
near-crashes, according to a landmark research report released by the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Virginia
Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI). Nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65
percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within
three seconds before the event. Provides references to programs,
information, and statistics.
- Work-Related
Roadway Crashes: Challenges and Opportunities for Prevention. US
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2003-119, (2003,
September). Provides a comprehensive view of issues impacting the
prevention of work-related roadway crashes. Identifies the single most
important driver safety policy that employers can implement and enforce
as the mandatory use of seat belts. NHTSA estimated that in 2000, the use
of seat belts prevented 11,889 fatalities in the United States and could
have prevented 9,238 fatalities that did occur.
- Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office: Benefit. US Department of Transportation (DOT), Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), (1997). Summarizes the findings of a series of interviews with commercial vehicle operators across the United States.
- Division of Federal Employees' Compensation (DFEC). US Department of
Labor (DOL), Office of Worker's Compensation Programs (OWCP), Division of Federal Employees' Compensation (DFEC). Provides data from the Safety and Health and Return to Employment (SHARE) Initiative to reduce workplace injury and illness rates.
- Highway Work Zones are potentially hazardous for both motor vehicle
drivers and the personnel working in the zone. For additional information on these hazards
and controls, see OSHA's Highway Work Zones and Signs, Signals, and Barricades Safety and Health Topics Page.
Workplace Vehicle Safety
Unlike other workplaces, the roadway is not a closed environment.
Preventing work-related roadway crashes requires strategies that combine traffic
safety principles and sound safety management practices. Although employers
cannot control roadway conditions, they can promote safe driving behavior by
providing safety information to workers and by setting and enforcing driver
safety policies. Crashes are not an unavoidable part of doing business.
The US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has identified steps employers
can take steps to protect their employees and their companies.
References
- Traveling on Federal Business? OSHA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), (2004). Also available as a 427 KB PDF, 1 page. Requires Federal employees to use seat belts.
Additional Information
Related Safety and Health Topics Pages
Case Studies
- Motor Carrier Safety: A Collaborative Approach to Reducing Motor Carrier Incidents. OSHA, (2006, March). Describes how The Dow Chemical Company (DOW) worked with one of
its motor carriers, Transport Service Company (TSC), to successfully implement
a new behavior-based safety program to reduce TSC's rear-end collisions.
- Motor Vehicle Accident
Case Study: The Dow Chemical Company's Use of Six Sigma Methodology. OSHA,
(2005, December). Describes the Six Sigma methodology and how
Dow used it to successfully reduce motor vehicle accidents in the company's
Hydrocarbons and Energy business unit.
- Fleet Safety at
Abbott. OSHA, (2005, April). Discusses Abbott's successful
efforts to reduce fleet safety incident rates by training new hires,
mid-level managers, and high-risk drivers.
Other Resources
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Traffic Safety in Marine Terminals. OSHA Publication 3337-07, (2007). Helps the maritime industry
avoid traffic accidents and prevent or reduce work-related fatalities and injuries.
- Every Belt
-- Every Ride. OSHA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), (2004).
Provides online information on motor vehicle safety. Also available as a 367 KB PDF, 1 page.
- Operating Motor Vehicles: A Guide for Employees in the Automotive Repair Industry.
Coordinating Committee For Automotive Repair (CCAR). This training guide is a product of the OSHA and CCAR Alliance. It was
designed to help employees in the automotive repair industry understand their responsibilities
while driving a motor vehicle for their company, recognize the "4 A's of Defensive
Driving", and identify the significance of the "No Zone."
- Share the Road Safely. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
Works to improve the knowledge of all highway users to minimize the likelihood of a crash with
a large truck, and reduce the consequences of those that do occur. Educates people about how to prevent accidents, injuries, and deaths by sharing the road safely with other types of vehicles.
- Z15 Standard for Motor Vehicle Operations.
American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American Society of Safety
Engineers (ASSE). Recommends practices for the safe operation of motor
vehicles owned or operated by organizations including: definitions;
management, leadership and administration; operational environment; vehicle
considerations and incident reporting and analysis.
- Transportation Practice Specialty. American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE). Provides a variety of resources and links those interested in transportation safety to leading transportation safety experts.
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