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Contents
Page last reviewed: 09/28/2007
Highlights
  • 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

Construction

The majority of fatalities that occur in road construction work zones in the United States involve a worker being struck by a piece of construction equipment or other vehicle. A worker in this industry is just as likely to be struck by a piece of construction equipment inside the work zone as by passing traffic.

Alliances

  • Construction. OSHA Alliance Program. This is one of OSHA's Strategic Management Plan Focus Areas.

eTools

  • Construction. OSHA. A Spanish version is also available. Construction can be a safe occupation when workers are aware of the hazards, and an effective Safety and Health Program is used. This eTool contains information that helps workers identify and control the hazards that cause the most serious construction-related injuries.

Motor vehicle hazards are addressed in specific standards for the construction industry.

OSHA Standards

This section highlights OSHA standards related to motor vehicle safety.

Construction Industry (29 CFR 1926)

  • For additional information on specific state plans or other general standards, see the general industry Motor Vehicle Safety page.

Hazard Recognition

Highway and street construction workers are at risk of fatal and serious nonfatal injury when working in the vicinity of passing motorists, construction vehicles, and equipment. According to Building Safer Highway Work Zones: Measures to Prevent Worker Injuries from Vehicles and Equipment [US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2001-128], each year more than 100 workers are killed and over 20,000 are injured in the highway and street construction industry. Vehicles and equipment operating in and around the work zone are involved in over half of the worker fatalities in the construction industry.

The following references provide possible solutions in controlling and preventing motor vehicle hazards in the workplace.

  • 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 overview of crash data, the regulatory environment, and risk factors that contribute to workplace crashes. Identifies the groups of workers at greatest risk of traffic crashes, summarizes key issues that contribute to work-related roadway crashes, and recommends preventive measures for employers and other stakeholders.

  • Evaluation of Systems to Monitor Blind Spots Behind Trucks Used In Road Construction and Maintenance: Phase 1 [6 MB PDF, 21 pages]. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), (2003). Researchers at NIOSH are investigating various technologies that can be used to monitor these blind areas and provide information on nearby obstacles to an operator.

  • Building Safer Highway Work Zones: Measures to Prevent Worker Injuries From Vehicles and Equipment. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2001-128, (2001, April). Draws upon the collective knowledge, experience, and expertise of numerous individuals and organizations who are intimately involved with highway construction. Provides a listing of interventions from which contractors, contracting agencies, and other entities may choose those most appropriate to their situations and needs.

  • Test Results for Collision Warning Systems on Off- Highway Dump Trucks: Phase 2. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2001-100, (2000). Summarizes ongoing research at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Spokane Research Laboratory, in which collision warning systems for surface mining dump trucks are being evaluated.

Workplace Vehicle Safety

Additional Information

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*These files are provided for downloading.