Contrary to popular belief, truck driver injuries are not most likely to occur from a motor vehicle accident. The most common event leading to an injury is a slip, trip, or fall – followed by overexertion. These four occurrences can account for roughly half of all truck driver lost-time injuries.

How much does an on-the-job injury cost?

You can calculate what an on-the-job injury will cost by using the following factors:

• Direct treatment medical bills (both emergency and later treatment).
• Rehabilitation costs.
• Workers’ compensation wages (roughly 2/3 of the driver’s regular wage. This is normally paid by the insurance company, but it will cost you in the end!).
• Returning the driver and equipment home after the injury.
• Missed deliveries and reduced capacity.
• Hiring and training a temporary replacement.
• Lost productivity.

Using these factors, imagine the cost of a driver injuring two lower back discs, requiring an immediate emergency room visit, one or two surgeries, full rehab, and several months off of work!

Countermeasures

Training is the key to preventing these injuries. Here are a few components of a good injury prevention training program.

Safe lifting (to prevent sprains, strains, and overexertion injuries) is a topic that must be covered. Good body mechanics, proper stretching, and getting help when necessary are key points that must be discussed. Related to this is safe “pushing and pulling.” Many driver injuries involve pulling fifth wheel or sliding tandem releases, and pushing freight around the trailer or dock. The same principles of good body mechanics, stretching, and getting help apply to these activities as well.

Using three points of contact whenever mounting or dismounting anything (tractors, trailers, docks, etc.). Simply explained, this involves having three limbs stationary and one limb moving. If the “moving limb” slips, the driver will not fall off the vehicle or dock.

One last point to make is avoiding “pinch points” when working with equipment (load binders, load bars, etc.), or around power equipment (forklifts, pallet jacks, etc.).

Stay safe!