PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
In 1996, motor
vehicle crashes were the leading cause of work-related fatalities
in both the United States and Illinois. In 1995, the Bureau of
Labor Standards revealed that, of the 45,439 non-fatal injuries
reported in the United States, 43 percent resulted in employees
losing more than 10 days from work. These data represent a combined
cost to the economy in lost wages, productivity, property damages,
and medical costs of more than $150.5 billion, annually. Two
issues have been identified as contributing to the problem of
workplace- related fatalities and injuries: driving under the
influence of alcohol and nonuse of seat belts.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the
Traffic Safety Includes the Workplace symposium was to
reduce workplace-related traffic fatalities and injuries in Cook
County, Illinois. Objectives of the symposium were to:
- Promote a dialogue
among community leaders on the issue of workplace-related traffic
fatalities and injuries
- Develop a consensus
among symposium participants that workplace traffic safety issues
should be addressed
- Encourage the creation
of public-private partnerships between area employers and local
government that focus on workplace traffic safety strategies
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
On September 22,
1998, the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois hosted the first
Traffic Safety Includes the Workplace Symposium. The symposium
was conceived by the Circuit Court of Cook County as a step toward
reaching national goals regarding reduction of alcohol-related
fatalities and increasing the use of seat belts. It was attended
by more than 120 representatives of businesses, government, law
enforcement, health professionals, unions, and community leaders.
The half-day symposium opened with a general session during which
attendees faced the challenge of building partnerships to address
workplace safety issues, specifically driving under the influence
of alcohol and seat belt use. Following the general session,
attendees were offered a choice of two workshops:
- In one workshop,
driving under the influence issues were presented, and the film,
Wasted, produced by the Circuit Court of Cook County,
was shown. A panel discussion followed
- The other workshop,
presented by traffic safety experts from the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Region 5 office, explored
occupant protection issues. During a panel discussion, panelists
related real-life experiences and the costs of not using seat
belts
Following the two
workshops, attendees reconvened in a general session to finalize
commitments regarding workplace safety and discuss possible barriers
to implementation. |