TruckNews, in co-operation with Volvo Trucks, has produced a two-part video series on musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and how fleets and drivers can help prevent them.
MSDs and slips and falls are some of the leading causes of lost time injuries among professional drivers. Yet, it’s an issue that’s frequently overlooked by fleets and the potential impact to their bottom line and the wellbeing of their drivers is often underestimated.
Drivers also have a role to play in preventing these types of injuries, by properly entering and exiting the truck, positioning the seat and steering wheel in the most ergonomically correct positions and taking time to stretch before handbombing freight, coupling or uncoupling a trailer or engaging in any other physically demanding aspect of the job.
Mark Skinner, R&D consultant with the Infrastructure Health & Safety Association, provides expert tips on everything from spec’ing driver-friendly trucks to maintaining three points of contact when entering or exiting the vehicle.
In Part 1, Skinner explains what MSD injuries are and describes some of their leading causes.
Part 1 also explores proper spec’ing and how drivers can reduce their likelihood of suffering an MSD injury by stretching and setting the seat and steering wheel in their optimum positions.
Part 2, to air in two weeks, looks at what drivers can do when outside the cab to prevent MSD-related injuries. Tips include maintaining three points of contact and standing in the proper position when cranking the trailer’s landing gear or opening the jaws of the fifth wheel.
