Report: Get Ready for Severe Weather, Including Having the Right Footwear

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  Winter storms create devastating road conditions that can cripple the trucking industry. During the winter of 2008, Washington truck drivers faced some of the worst driving conditions in recorded history. Experienced truck drivers respect winter threats and take action to protect themselves, their truck, their freight, their company, and other drivers on the road. Driving on roads covered with rain, snow, or ice can be treacherous. But you can be in danger just getting out of your truck. TIRES data shows that in this type of weather, the most common injury is a fall to the ground. As shown in the chart above, falls to the ground account for over 50% of all workers' compensation claims that mention snow or ice in the report of accident. These falls most often affect backs, knees, and shoulders, with sprains, bruises, and breaks being the most common injuries. The majority of these falls occurred during the "simple" act of walking. To help prevent falls during icy conditions, think about investing in footwear traction devices* (*Some examples are YakTrax and Kahtoola's Microspikes(TM)). They might be an additional cost, but when you consider that a fall could cause you to lose 40 days of work and cost your employer $7,000 for the claim, they seem more like necessary safety gear. Part of being a good truck driver is being prepared. So be ready for winter by keeping warm clothes, hats, and gloves in your truck. When you get off the road and prepare to exit your truck, take the time to gear up - use the proper footwear and put on your high-visibility vest. It's the smart thing to do. You can save you and your company thousands of dollars in medical bills and lost work time. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Disaster Planning Emergencies Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Emergency Preparedness Footwear Injury Prevention Safety Equipment Slips, Trips, And Falls STF Truck Drivers Trucking Winter Storms
• 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:20059038
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 90-44-2009, 2009 Nov; :1
• Email:
  TruckingNews@KeepTruckingSafe.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Report: get ready for severe weather, including having the right footwear
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7165bcf7619414cc0d25cf56db1961fdf0eb94fd43a66fcb92869784730a6cd4893bfd9931a0fa869aaf434f3b5b427847cd450b8983948aec21f3601bd711c7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223369/cdc_223369_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 148.52 KB ]