Building accidents value the business roughly $11.5 billion per yr, in response to the Nationwide Institutes of Well being. One sort of concern and collision the business should take into account is automobile crashes.
These collisions could cause hurt to these engaged on street building tasks—they usually also can trigger severe risks for these driving to and from websites. April is Distracted Driving Consciousness Month, so it’s an ideal time to reexamine the dangers related to driving distracted whereas working.
The Dangers of Distracted Driving at Work
The NSC (Nationwide Security Council) suggests you’re 4 occasions as prone to crash when utilizing a cellphone whereas driving, and employers are answerable for $25 million for worker crashes, even when utilizing hands-free units. That may be a vital quantity of danger and a big quantity of duty.
One other report exhibits 70% of companies expertise the affect of distracted driving incidents, with 68% citing cell phone use because the main trigger, in response to Teletrac Navman, and 49% report distracted driving has a direct monetary value on enterprise. Whereas the delivery of cellphones utilization in autos has risen considerably since its introduction—of the preliminary cellphone from inventor Martin Cooper—it’s clear the position of cellphones in autos, fleets, and anyplace else for that matter is having an affect on enterprise productiveness and general security.
Employers are answerable for ensuring staff observe all legal guidelines—and for guaranteeing the security of all staff. And which means minimizing distracted driving or strolling on the job typically begins on the high.
The Case for Secure Driving
Let’s take into account an instance. Owens Corning is an organization with greater than 15,000 staff in 27 firms that present materials innovation for roofing, insulation, composites, and doorways. Matt Schroder, inner communications and company media relations chief, says the corporate’s efficiency in security had reached a degree the place accidents had considerably decreased, so it might proceed to focus its efforts on eliminating danger earlier than an damage occurred.
Right here the workforce reviewed the Nationwide Security Council knowledge and different public sources of knowledge to find out how you can create a coverage and a tradition of security round cellphone use. The coverage grew to become no cellphone use—handheld or hands-free—and it covers all drivers and applies to any scenario the place an worker is conducting any enterprise.
The CEO adhered to it for 90 days earlier than it grew to become firm coverage and the workforce:
- Used the NSC Cell Cellphone Coverage Equipment and movies as a base for the plan
- Decided key stakeholders throughout the group
- Recognized potential points with the coverage
- Tried to deal with any points upfront
- Recruited champions from a bunch of stakeholders
- Created the marketing campaign
- Laid out the plan in a world city corridor
- Carried out it over a 60-day interval
Whereas that is one instance, many firms now have cellphone insurance policies in place that determine how you can work together with units in autos and fleets. Coaching and creating a tradition of security are solely two items of this pie although.
The Case for AI
In lots of instances, know-how is a foe within the autos—however can it even be a good friend? Can know-how assist stop the usage of units in autos? That is a query I’ve been asking right here at Related World, Constructech, and The Peggy Smedley Present for years.
Let’s take a look at a number of the current knowledge. Teletrac Navman launched the outcomes of its AI & Driver Security Survey, which is part of its 2025 Distracted Driving and Driver Security Report. It discovered 83% of fleets say AI is the way forward for security. How?
Respondents say AI will probably be used to:
- Monitor driver conduct (32%)
- Predict and forestall potential accidents (17%)
- Scale back distracted driving incidents (16%)
- Enhance automobile upkeep (14%)
- Improve teaching and coaching by knowledge (13%)
Nonetheless, there are lots of potential roadblocks to utilizing AI on this space. Roughly 23% are involved about knowledge privateness and 14% are apprehensive about driver resistance.
What are your ideas? How can we clear up the distracted driving epidemic in enterprise? Does it begin with a tradition of security? We’ve been making that case for many years and nonetheless too many lives are misplaced by individuals who assume they will multitask on the expense of one other’s life misplaced at a jobsite or when somebody is driving will get distracted. Can coaching and know-how assist to curb distracted driving and unsafe conduct whereas behind the wheel?
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