Work injuries among drivers in the goods-transport branch in Denmark

Work related injuries in Washington State's Trucking Industry, by industry sector and occupation

BACKGROUND

The trucking industry continues to have some of the highest work-related injury and illness rates and costs of any industry in the United States. Until recently, little focus has been placed on addressing non-motor vehicle collision related injuries within the trucking industry. Drivers are exposed to multiple physical risk factors that contribute to occupational injuries in order to complete their job duties, such as loading/unloading freight, decoupling trailers, strapping down loads and ingress and egress from the cab and trailer. About one-fourth of all truck driver injuries in the United States are related to slips, trips, and falls near the truck.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this descriptive study is to report on recent injuries in the trucking industry in Washington State. Data are presented by occupation and industry sector, in order to better understand the magnitude of specific injuries in terms of time-loss days and workers' compensation costs.

METHODS

All accepted, compensable (time-loss) claims from 2005 to 2010 within the trucking industry in Washington State were reviewed. Counts, rates, median and quartile data are presented. Logistic regression models are presented to identify factors associated with more severe claims.

RESULTS

Non-traumatic musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, back and upper extremities are the most frequent injuries across all industry sectors and occupations in the trucking industry. Vehicle related claims had the highest median costs and time loss days and Courier and Messenger claims had the highest risk for higher time loss claims. Injuries varied substantially by sector and within sectors by occupation.

CONCLUSION

It is important to review work-related injuries within the trucking industry by sector and occupation in order to maximize limited resources for injury prevention within this important sector.

Ergonomic analyses within the French transport and logistics sector: first steps towards a new "act elsewhere" prevention approach

Statistics from the French Employee National Health Insurance Fund indicate high accident levels in the transport sector. This study represents initial thinking on a new approach to transport sector prevention based on the assumption that a work situation could be improved by acting on another interconnected work situation. Ergonomic analysis of two connected work situations, involving the road haulage drivers and cross-docking platform employees, was performed to test this assumption. Our results show that drivers are exposed to a number of identified risks, but their multiple tasks raise the question of activity intensification. The conditions, under which the drivers will perform their work and take to the road, are partly determined by the quality and organisation of the platform with which they interact. We make a number of recommendations (e.g. changing handling equipment, re-appraising certain jobs) to improve platform organisation and employee working conditions with the aim of also improving driver conditions. These initial steps in this prevention approach appear promising, but more detailed investigation is required.

Hazard scenarios of truck drivers' occupational accidents on and around trucks during loading and unloading

Recent epidemiological studies have shown that there is a clear need for efforts to prevent non-traffic occupational injuries among truck drivers. The objective of the present study was to establish the hazard scenarios for truck drivers during loading/unloading through analyses of text descriptions of accident processes. Focus was on accidents that were primarily related to movement/operation on and around the truck, which are particular to truck drivers. Special emphasis was placed on falls from heights, as this was shown to be the most frequent type of accident and a major cause of fractures among truck drivers. Analyses of text descriptions of 136 accidents, including 63 cases of fall from height, collected in one company over a period of three years, revealed that: (a) the major triggering factors for falls from heights on and around the truck were stepping off the edge at height (33.3%), wrong footing (27.0%), and loss of balance/control of wagon (15.9%); (b) the major triggering factors for accidents on and around the truck in general were slip/trip (44.1%) and defect/malfunction (14.7%). The present study identified four target areas for improving prevention of occupational accidents of truck drivers in connection with movement/operation on and around trucks during loading/unloading: (1) improvement of the procedures for unloading to reduce the risk of fall from the back-hatch lift, (2) improvements of shoes and housekeeping to reduce the risk of slip/trip, (3) improvement of truck maintenance, and (4) reconciliation of views on causes of accidents between employers and truck drivers as a first step for a dialogue for improving safety in the goods-transport branch.