If an employee gets into a car accident on-the-job, the incident can result in significant expenditures for an employer. The employee could end up making a workers’ compensation claim for injuries. If the employee was at fault, it is possible the employer could be liable for any losses the on-duty worker caused to others, as a result of New York agency rules. When an employee is sick or hurt, the employer also experiences a loss in productivity. Because of the big consequences for employers, companies can and should try to find ways to prevent on-the-job accidents. Drive Safely Work Week is one way employers can take steps to reduce the risk of collisions while doing work tasks.
While employers may face financial loss after an on-the-job accident involving a worker, it is the employee that can pay the ultimate price if he is hurt or killed. New York injury attorneys can help employees and their families after an on-the-job incident involving a vehicle accident. Victims could potentially pursue lawsuits if another driver caused the collision, and/or can also make workers’ comp claims for injuries or fatalities regardless who was at fault. An attorney can provide assistance determining the best course of action to maximize possible compensation.
Drive Safely Work Week Aims to Reduce Workplace Car Accidents
Prevention of workplace car accidents is a vitally important goal for employers and employees. The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) is making an effort to help with this goal, according to Safety BLR. The Network organizes an annual Drive Safely Work Week with the goal of providing education and support for collision reduction. During the 2016 year, dates for Drive Safely Work Week span October 3 through October 7, 2016.
There are different themes for each Drive Safely Work Week, and the Network of Employers for Traffic prepared educational material based on the particular theme of the year. This year, a toolkit is available for free which helps employers to create a plan for fighting crashes and which helps employers to implement a training campaign related to collision avoidance. The toolkit will provide invaluable information on this year’s theme, which is referred to as Drowsy, Distracted, or Focused and which emphasizes that “your decisions drive your safety.”
The toolkit contains info on:
- How sleep (or lack of sleep) can impact an employee’s daily performance
- The signs of driving fatigue and the risks of drowsy driving
- The kinds of driving behaviors which cause collisions to happen
- Risks associated with mobile device use while driving
- The importance of driving slow and using seatbelts
Employees lost 1.6 million days of work because of auto accidents in 2015. NETS estimates that if a company makes an investment in road safety programs and provides adequate training for employers, the chances of on-the-job auto accidents can decrease by as much as 50 percent. This could mean many lives saved and injuries avoided.
Accidents do continue to happen, however, even under the best of circumstances. When an accident does happen, Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff can provide assistance to victims and their families in understanding their options for recovering damages for losses.
