October 20, 2011 by Fred Hosier
As someone in charge of workplace safety, you know it’s possible to create a new hazard by eliminating an old one — an unintended consequence. It appears that’s the case in Nevada where a new ban on using hand-held cell phones while driving went into effect this month.
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Tags: cell phone law, hand-held cell phones, hands-free cell phones, Nevada, unintended consequences
October 3, 2011 by Fred Hosier
A police investigation into a crash between a tractor trailer and an Amtrak passenger train in Maine says the truck driver was distracted by a cell phone call right before the collision. The crash killed the truck driver and caused $3 million worth of damages to the train.
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Tags: Amtrak, cell phone, distracted driving, fatal truck train crash, Triumvirate Environmental
September 16, 2011 by Fred Hosier
A transportation advisory board is recommending that all commercial drivers be forbidden from using cell phones while driving, whether the devices are hand-held or hands-free.
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Tags: cell phone ban, Department of Transportation, Kentucky bus crash, NTSB, Ray LaHood, texting ban
August 18, 2011 by Fred Hosier
Yes, there are apps for workplace safety, including OSHA’s first one. But overall, there aren’t many that are free or inexpensive.
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Tags: apps, DOT placards, hearing test, OSHA Heat Safety Tool, smart phone
August 17, 2011 by Fred Hosier
New York City Fire Department Capt. James Melvin says he’s never witnessed anything like this in his 34-year career: the rescue of two construction workers from neck-high water in an elevator.
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Tags: cell phone, drowning, elevator, rescue
August 15, 2011 by Fred Hosier
An employee was talking on his company-issued cell phone to a co-worker in his own car when he was shot in the face by someone in a passing vehicle. A ruling says he should receive workers’ comp benefits because he was on the company cell phone at the time of the shooting.
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Tags: cell phones, coming-and-going rule, principal shot, school gangs, Workers' comp
June 29, 2011 by Fred Hosier
Scenario: A company requires employees to sign an agreement to not use cell phones while driving for business. Despite that, the company dispatcher regularly calls drivers on their cell phones. What’s the company’s liability if there’s a crash?
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Tags: cell phones, crash, liability
June 23, 2011 by Fred Hosier
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) points the finger at operator cell phone use in its report on the cause of a double fatal crash between a tourist boat and a barge one year ago.
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Tags: cell phone, duck boat crash, NTSB, Ride the Ducks
May 27, 2011 by Fred Hosier
Does your company have a policy that prohibits texting and/or talking on cell phones while employees are driving for business purposes? A recent survey provides some benchmarks.
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Tags: cell phone policy, driving for business purposes, prohibit texting, smartphone apps
May 6, 2011 by Fred Hosier
A train operator caused a crash that resulted in 68 injuries and $9.6 million dollars in damages, according to a federal report.
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Tags: Boston, cell phone, MBTA train crash, NTSB, texting
March 9, 2011 by Fred Hosier
Federal investigators looking into a fatal duck boat collision last year have provided more evidence that transportation and cell phones don’t mix.
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Tags: cell phone, duck boat crash, fatal collision, National Transportation Safety Board
January 25, 2011 by Fred Hosier
New technology could allow employers to keep workers from answering their company-issued cell phones while driving.
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Tags: DriveSmart, smartphones, T-Mobile, texting, use cell phones while driving
January 14, 2011 by Fred Hosier
As state governments debate whether to enact bans on using cell phones while driving, some businesses are taking matters into their own hands.
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Tags: cell phones, motor vehicle crashes, National Safety Council
December 23, 2010 by Fred Hosier
Earlier this year, the federal government banned commercial truck and bus drivers from texting while driving. The crackdown on using cell phones while driving may now go one or two steps further.
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Tags: commercial motor vehicle, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, hand-held cell phone ban
December 6, 2010 by Fred Hosier
The U.S. Secretary of Transportation recently said he’s considering a push in Congress for a national ban on using cell phones while driving. Turns out a majority of the public thinks that’s a good idea.
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Tags: cell phone ban, hand-held cell phones, National Safety Council, Secretary of Transportation, texting
October 5, 2010 by Fred Hosier
A study by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) shows bans on texting while driving may not be having the desired effect. In fact, crash rates may actually be increasing in some states that have enacted them.
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Tags: cell phone bans, Highway Loss Data Institute, texting bans
September 23, 2010 by Fred Hosier
Two federal agencies have teamed up to combat distracted driving by workers. One agency says texting while driving could lead to fines.
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Tags: distracted driving, Hilda Solis, OSHA, texting while driving, U.S. Department of Transportation
September 1, 2010 by Fred Hosier
A commuter rail system and its former operating contractor want to use federal law to limit their liability in a deadly train crash caused by a texting employee.
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Tags: Connex, Metrolink crash, settlement
March 31, 2010 by Fred Hosier
School districts and private bus contractors in Pennsylvania will now get a summary of a school bus driver’s entire driving history. The change follows a recent fatal school bus crash.
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Tags: crash, driving record, fatal bus crash
March 23, 2010 by Fred Hosier
Investigators say a school bus driver was talking on his cell phone and listening to music on an MP3 player during his morning run leading up to a fatal crash. On top of that, the driver was previously involved in a fatal vehicle crash while dialing his cell phone.
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Tags: cell phone, fatal crash, school bus, transportation
March 10, 2010 by Fred Hosier
If you get into enough debates about using cell phones while driving, eventually someone is likely to say, “What about all the other things people do while driving? I’ve seen people eating, putting on makeup, shaving … ”
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Tags: cell phones, reckless driving, shaving while driving
February 8, 2010 by Fred Hosier
A new study measures whether there are fewer crashes after states ban cell phone use while driving.
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Tags: cell phone ban, crashes, Department of Transportation, Highway Loss Data Institute, texting
January 26, 2010 by Fred Hosier
A National Transportation Safety Board investigation shows a collision between two trains in California in 2008 that killed 25 people and injured 102 more was caused by the engineer running a red light while text-messaging.
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Tags: cell phones, Metrolink, NTSB, texting, train crash
January 5, 2010 by Fred Hosier
More than 3 million employees aren’t allowed to text or use hand-held phones while driving for business now that a federal order has taken effect.
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Tags: ban on texting, cell phones, Department of Transportation, hands-free device, President Obama
December 16, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Has the cell phone industry done enough to warn customers that it’s dangerous to use the devices and drive at the same time? One woman is taking her opinion to court.
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Tags: cellphone, distracted driving, lawsuit
November 24, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Two young women, both found guilty of causing fatal car crashes while using a cell phone behind the wheel, got different sentences for their crimes. Which one do you think was the more appropriate sentence?
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Tags: distracted driving, fatal car crash, texting while driving
October 15, 2009 by Fred Hosier
California requires people using a cell phone while driving to use a hands-free device. Now, the state’s governor has had to tell his wife that the law applies to her, too.
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Tags: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, hands-free device, Maria Shriver, using cell phone while driving
October 9, 2009 by Fred Hosier
President Obama has signed an Executive Order banning 4.5 million employees from texting while driving.
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Tags: National Traffic Safety Administration, texting while driving, truckers
September 25, 2009 by Fred Hosier
The American Society of Safety Engineers is calling on safety pros to support efforts to cut down on distracted driving since the leading cause of workplace fatalities is motor vehicle crashes.
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Tags: ASSE, cell phones and driving, distracted driving, driver education, motor vehicle crashes
September 4, 2009 by Fred Hosier
More than four million people have now viewed a video on YouTube that shows the tragic consequences when texting-while-driving causes a crash. Despite that, some safety pros say the video ultimately won’t do much good.
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Tags: driving and texting video, gory videos, Gwent Wales police
August 30, 2009 by Fred Hosier
A 30-minute video, made in a small town in Wales, was intended for local high school students to show them the dangers of texting and driving. But now, people from all around the world have watched it on YouTube — and the general reaction by viewers is that they’ll never text and drive again.
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Tags: cell phones and driving, Gwent Wales police department, texting and driving video
August 28, 2009 by Fred Hosier
A 30-minute video, made in a small town in Wales, was intended for local high school students to show them the dangers of texting and driving. But now, more than 1.5 million people have watched it on YouTube — and the general reaction by viewers is that they’ll never text and drive again.
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Tags: Gwent Wales police, texting and driving video, YouTube texting driving video
August 21, 2009 by Fred Hosier
They say a picture’s worth a thousand words. Here’s photographic proof of why it’s not safe for employees to use their cell phones while driving.
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Tags: reckless driving, text and drive, tow truck into swimming pool
August 12, 2009 by Fred Hosier
When it comes to the safety of employees who drive as part of their jobs, there’s been a recent focus on the hazards of driving while talking on a cell phone. But what about eating while driving?
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Tags: distracted driving, driving while on cell phone, eating while driving
August 1, 2009 by Fred Hosier
Just how distracting is it to send text messages while driving? Try your skills online.
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Tags: distracting, text messages while driving, texting while driving
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