As part of April being National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, Aegis Mobility has issued a new white paper entitled “Employee Distracted Driving: Understanding Your Business Risk and Liability.” To develop a reasonable mobile device safety program, companies should start a thoughtful, deliberative discussion with key corporate stakeholders – from accounting to legal; from management to staff. The conversation should focus on the risks and utility of mobile device use for that company. There is no single compliance solution. What works for one company may not work for another.
The factors to consider include, among others – the company’s footprint, resources, safety culture, and risk tolerance. The National Safety Council (“NSC”) warns that “[e]mployers should set policies that exceed existing rules, regulations and laws.” The practical goal is to limit distracting behaviors; the aspirational goal is to eliminate them.
For a template safety program, employers should review industry voluntary standard Z15.1 from the American National Standards Institute (“ANSI”). Under Z15.1, companies “shall” have a written safety program, and it “shall” include these key elements:
Safety policy;
Responsibilities and accountabilities;
Organizational safety rules;
Orientation and training;
Regulatory compliance management; and
Management program audits.
You can down load the paper, written in collaboration with a specialized national law firm, for free by clicking here.