Load related fall injuries to drivers

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  What happened: Working with a load to get it on or off a trailer can be dangerous. Falling off the trailer is no small matter. Following are summaries of fall injuries sustained while maneuvering loads on or off a trailer. These examples are just a few of the many fall injuries experienced every year by Washington state truck drivers. 1. A 51-year-old truck driver was unloading a piece of construction equipment from a low boy trailer. He slipped and fell from the equipment, hit the trailer, and landed 4 feet below. He sustained injuries to his hip and lower back. His injuries required surgery and resulted in permanent partial disability. Workers' compensation costs were $119,000, including 500 days of time-loss. 2. A 31-year-old dock worker was unloading a delivery truck when he stepped into a gap between the loading dock and truck and fell. He hit his right knee on the steel corner of the dock. The injury to his knee required multiple surgeries. Workers' compensation costs were $112,000, including 1,020 days of time-loss. 3. A 25-year-old package delivery driver slipped on his truck's wet lift gate and fell 4 feet to the ground, hitting his right elbow on the lift gate. He fractured his elbow, resulting in permanent partial disability. Workers' compensation costs were $20,000, including 140 days time-loss. Of the injuries summarized, the shortest amount of time lost from work was close to five months. Companies and drivers can't afford these types of injuries. How can you prevent similar incidents? 1. Assure dock plates are in place and are full width. 2. Provide adequate lighting. 3. Remove slip and trip hazards, such as banding debris. 4. Check loads for broken pallets or loose banding. 5. Get help for loads not manageable by one person. 6. Provide and use loading and unloading equipment that is appropriate for the load materials. 7. Check trailer access steps, ladders, and handholds. Retro fit if inadequate or report if damaged. 8. Maintain non-skid surfaces at trailer threshold and on dock plates. 9. Drivers should wear footwear suitable for the job. 10. Encourage drivers to report customer delivery site fall hazard conditions they are exposed to. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Automobiles Education Men Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Safety Management Staff Development Workplace
• Keywords:
  Drivers Humans Injuries Injury-prevention Risk-factors Safety-education Safety-measures Safety-practices Training Trucking Work-environment Workers

  More +
• Publisher:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20044722
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 90-4-2007, 2007 Apr; :1
• Contact Point Address:
  SHARP Program, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, PO Box 44330, Olympia, WA 98504-4330
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2007
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Load related fall injuries to drivers
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d56c11a831a3e6365abc22c152f573c1b257f43a5511f03beba50fb11b505e0f57172ba1839ba0a9229c28afed8cc50b4966aa0c32a5b4d0fcb1c86e3c3c4feb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/200361/cdc_200361_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 49.58 KB ]