Prevention
Safety belt use is an inexpensive and effective way for employers to reduce occupational deaths and injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that using safety belts reduces the risk of death among front seat occupants in passenger vehicles by about 45 percent; the risk reductions among occupants of pickup trucks are estimated to be 60 to 65 percent.
Businesses incur enormous economic costs each year from traffic crashes through lost productivity, workers compensation and medical costs, and higher insurance premiums. Employers have a crucial role to play in increasing safety belt use and safeguarding employees – their most valuable asset. Specifically, employers should:
- Determine their current corporate safety belt use rate.
- Implement a strong policy requiring employees to wear safety belt when driving on company business (and encourage them to do so on personal time, too).
- Communicate to employees through organizational channels (newsletters, email, posters, seminars, training classes, etc.) the company’s commitment to safety and health and specifically to the importance of wearing a safety belt, every trip, every time.
- Institute activities and programs that incentivize the use of safety belt and a recognition program for those employees who buckle up.
- Support local and national high visibility enforcement efforts to promote safety belt use.
