Maximum Forces Sustained During Various Methods of Exiting Commercial Tractors, Trailers and Trucks

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cotnam JP ; Fathallah FA
• Description:
  Many commercial vehicles have steps and grab-rails to assist the driver in safely entering/exiting the vehicle. However, many drivers do not use these aids. The purpose of this study was to compare impact forces experienced during various exit methods from commercial equipment. The study investigated impact forces of ten male subjects while exiting two tractors, a step-van, a box-trailer, and a cube-van. The results showed that exiting from cab-level or trailer-level resulted in impact forces as high as 12 times the subject's body weight; whereas, fully utilizing the steps and grab-rails resulted in impact forces less than two times body weight. An approach that emphasizes optimal design of entry/exit aids coupled with driver training and education is expected to minimize exit-related injuries. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Automobiles Body Weight Ergonomics Musculoskeletal System Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Transportation
• Keywords:
  Body-mechanics Body-protection Body-weight Drivers Force Injuries Injury-prevention Musculoskeletal-system Occupational-exposure Occupational-hazards Occupational-health Occupational-safety-programs Safety-climate Safety-education Safety-equipment Safety-practices Trucking

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• ISSN:
  0003-6870
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  25-33
• Volume:
  31
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20033076
• Citation:
  Appl Ergon 2000 Jan; 31(1):25-33
• Contact Point Address:
  Fadi A. Fathallah: Liberty Mutual Research Center for Safety and Health, 71 Frankland Rd, Hopkinton, MA 01748
• Email:
  fathallah@libertymutual.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2000
• Performing Organization:
  University of California - Davis
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19900930
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Ergonomics
• End Date:
  20020929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:75352009bace140204d397c0e6cbbca220b8b2577b2fb5a1b033669f042a7479781a3a8c1b78110e58a0139617d8281f8099c58524b709ac9a61188c6f511ee5
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/188790/cdc_188790_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 593.98 KB ]