It Really Happened: Prevent Pain and Regret, Use Care with a Handle That’s Wet

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  A 26-year-old truck driver suffered a painful back injury when he fell from his cab. He'd worked as a lumber truck driver for nearly five years. It was cold and raining. After parking for the night the driver was getting out of his truck. As the driver stepped out of the cab, his hand slipped off the wet, slick grab handle. He lost his balance on the cab steps and fell to the ground, landing hard on his tailbone. The driver reported the incident to his dispatcher and ended the workday with a sore back. The next morning severe lower back and leg pain led him to seek medical attention. The driver briefly returned to work on light duty, but any movement, sitting or standing, intensified his pain and discomfort. An MRI scan revealed a herniated spinal disc in his lower back. The driver needed back surgery followed by a long, slow healing process that required use of a walking cane. TIPS TO LIVE BY: Management: Install anti-slip grab handles on trucks, trailers, and other equipment used in wet environments. Provide drivers with paper or cloth towels to wipe down wet grab handles. Provide drivers with anti-slip work gloves to improve gripping in wet conditions. Drivers: Check grab handles for wet, slick surfaces. Use a dry towel to wipe down wet grab handles before use. Wear anti-slip work gloves and boots when climbing vehicle in wet conditions. Use 3-points of contact facing vehicle, holding firmly onto grab handles, gaining stable, balanced footing, and climbing all steps. All Employees: Actively look for hazards and share injury prevention ideas with management. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Accidents, Occupational Automobiles Education Environmental Exposure Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Preventive Medicine Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Safety Management Staff Development Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Drivers Exposure Levels Fall Protection Falls Hazards Injuries Injury-prevention Personal Protection Personal Protective Equipment PPE Preventive Measures Risk Factors Safety-education Safety-measures Safety-practices Training Trucking Work-environment Workers

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• 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:20058293
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 90-185-2018, 2019 Nov; :1
• Contact Point Address:
  SHARP Program, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, PO Box 44330, Olympia, WA 98504-4330
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  It really happened: prevent pain and regret, use care with a handle that's wet
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:87333b2ea1147c1b463f49760027760b787d3a35fb89b4a2a00170cf8d1e8cb4048d2c3d48f4780e7fa07a2db9b7b55b7036638cfb11324d07072c0dc90348c5
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/221420/cdc_221420_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 408.15 KB ]