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Trucking Industry |
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Roughly 475,000 large trucks with a gross vehicle
weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds are involved in crashes
which result in approximately 5,360 fatalities and 142,000 injuries
each year. Of the fatalities, about 74 percent were occupants of
other vehicles (usually passenger cars), 3 percent were pedestrians,
and 23 percent were occupants of large trucks. The unsafe actions
of automobile drivers are a contributing factor in about 70
percent of the fatal crashes involving trucks. More public awareness
of how to share the road safely with large trucks is needed. Safe
speeds save lives. Exceeding the speed limit was a factor in 22 percent
of the fatal crashes. Greater speed enforcement is needed.
The following information is related to safety and health in the trucking industry:
Trucker Illnesses and
Injuries
Common Trucker Injuries
- Strains and sprains (50 percent)
- Bruises
- Fractures
- Cuts and lacerations
- Soreness and pain
- Multiple traumatic injuries
Events or Exposures Leading
to Trucker Injury
- Overexertion
- Contact with object
- Being struck by an object
- Falling (on the same level)
- Transportation accidents
Fatality and Injury
Data
- Large Truck Crash Facts 2000. Analysis
Division of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association (FMCSA),
(2002, March), 248 KB
PDF,
61 pages. Reports that over the past 20 years (1980 to 2000), there has been
a 39 percent increase in registered large trucks and a 90 percent
increase in miles traveled by large trucks. Over the same time
period, the number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes
each year has declined by 8 percent, and the vehicle involvement
rate for large trucks in fatal crashes has declined by 52 percent.
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Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day: October 10. National Society
of Professional Engineers, (2006). Indicates that in 2003, 42,643
people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes, a decrease of nearly
one percent from 2002. At the same time, the number of persons
injured dropped, from 2.93 million in 2002 to 2.89 million in
2003. Drunk driving continues to be a serious problem in the United
States. Alcohol was involved in an estimated 446,000 crashes in
2003, killing 17,013 people and injuring an estimated 275,000
others.
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Fatalities and Injuries Among Truck and
Cab Drivers. Knestaut, A. Compensation and Working Conditions,
(1997, Fall), 36 KB
PDF,
7 pages. Identifies truck driving (From 1992 to 1995) as having the most fatalities
of all occupations, accounting for 12 percent of all worker
deaths. About two-thirds of the fatally injured truckers were
involved in highway crashes. Truck drivers also had more nonfatal
injuries (over 151,000) than workers in any other occupation
in 1995. Half of the nonfatal injuries were serious sprains
and strains; this may be attributed to the fact that many truck
drivers must unload the goods they transport.
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Career Guide to Industries (CGI), 2006-07 Edition. US Department
of Labor (DOL), Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
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Truck
Transportation and Warehousing. Reports statistics for the trucking industry.
In 2003, work-related injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time
workers averaged 6.8 in the truck transportation industry and 10.1
in warehousing and storage, compared with a rate of 5.0 for the
entire private sector. More than 8 out of 10 on-the-job fatalities
in the truck transportation industry resulted from transportation
related incidents.
Serious Violations Cited 1997-2002
- Improper guarding of grinding machinery
- Lack of eyewashes and showers
- Unsafe forklifts
- Grounding of electrical equipment
- Lack of personal protective equipment
- No guardrails on platforms or loading docks
General Trucking Safety
Over the past 20 years (1983 to 2003), there has been a 44-percent increase in registered large trucks
and an 86-percent increase in large truck miles traveled. Many workers are at high
risk of injury and death from traffic-related motor vehicle
crashes. About three workers die from these crashes each
day.
- Large Trucks. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
National Center for Statistics and Analysis, 315 KB
PDF, 6 pages. Reports that in 2004, 416,000 large trucks (gross vehicle
weight rating greater than 10,000
pounds) were involved in traffic crashes in
the United States; 4,862 were
involved in fatal crashes. A total of 5,190
people died (12% of all the traffic
fatalities reported in 2004) and an
additional 116,000 were injured in those
crashes.
In 2003, large trucks accounted for 3
percent of all registered vehicles and 7
percent of total vehicle miles traveled
(2004 registered vehicle and vehicle
miles traveled data not available). In 2004,
large trucks accounted for 8
percent of all vehicles involved in fatal
crashes and 4 percent of all vehicles
involved in injury and property-damage-only
crashes.
One out of eight traffic fatalities in 2004
resulted from a collision involving a
large truck.
- Commercial
Driver's License Program (CDL/CDLIS). Federal Motor
Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), (2006). Identifies the goal of
the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1986 (which
was signed into law on October 27, 1986) as improvement of highway safety by ensuring that
drivers of large trucks and buses are qualified to operate
those vehicles and to remove unsafe and unqualified drivers
from the highways. The Act retained the state's right
to issue a driver's license, but established minimum
national standards that states must meet when licensing
CMV drivers.
- Work-related
Roadway Crashes: Challenges and Opportunities for Prevention. US
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2003-119, (2003,
September). Provides a comprehensive overview of crash data, the regulatory
environment, and risk factors that contribute to workplace crashes.
Identifies the groups of workers at greatest risk of traffic crashes,
summarizes key issues that contribute to work-related roadway crashes, and
recommends preventive measures for employers and other stakeholders.
- Safety.
US Department of Transportation (DOT), (2006). Provides links to the primary safety sites within
the DOT. Truckers are an integral part of the movement
of materials between air, land, and sea:
Air
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Safety. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), (2006). Links to the Safety Hotline at (800) 255-1111,
Safety advisories and alerts, data and statistics, and various air safety programs.
Land
- Reducing Highway Fatalities
. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA),
(2006). Reports nationally, in 2005, there were 43,443 fatalities. Of these, 25,347 were a
result of road departure, 9,188 intersection-related, and 4,881 were
pedestrians.
- Traffic
Safety. National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
(2006). Provides information on injury protection,
driver performance, and crashes.
- Federal
Railroad Administration (FRA) Office of Safety
Analysis. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA),
(2006). Makes available railroad safety information including accidents and incidents, inspections and
highway-rail crossing data. Users can run dynamic queries,
download a variety of safety database files, publications and forms, and view
current statistical information on railroad safety.
Sea
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Marine Safety Center. US
Coast Guard (USCG), (2006). Works directly with the marine
industry, the Commandant, and Coast Guard field
units in the evaluation and approval of commercial
vessel and systems designs, development of safety
standards and policies, response to maritime
casualties and oversight of delegated third parties
in support of the Coast Guard's marine safety
and environmental protection programs. The US
Coast Guard in now part of the US Department of
Homeland Security (DHS).
- Stress Factors Experienced by Female Commercial Drivers in the
Transportation Industry. Electronic Library of
Construction Occupational Health and Safety (eCLOSH).
Reports that according to 1998 occupational injury and illness data
compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), truck
drivers, as compared to other occupations, experienced
the largest number of injuries and illnesses with time
away from work over the latest five years for which data
is available (1992-1996). During this time, the number
of injuries and illnesses declined for all occupations
by about 20 percent, but the number increased by nearly
five percent (up to 151,300) for truck drivers, with
women accounting for 17.6 percent.
- A
Summary - Improving Safety. US Department of Transportation
(DOT), (1998). Summarizes the Driver and Vehicle
Safety Programs authorized by TEA-21, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, including the alcohol
programs, seat belt and occupant protection programs,
state and community grants, state highway safety data
Improvement Incentive Grants, Highway Safety Research
and Development, National Driver Register, Automobile
Safety and Information, and for Railway-Highway Crossings-Operation
Lifesaver, Motor Carrier Safety programs, as well as
other infrastructure programs.
- Trade:
Truck Driver. Electronic Library
of Construction Occupational Health and Safety (eCLOSH),
(2003). Provides a list of links to related training
material.
- U.S.Transportation Secretary Mineta Announces FMCSA Rule Permitting Performance
Brake Testing Technology. US Department of Transportation (DOT), (2002, August).
Allows motor carriers and federal, state, and local enforcement officials to
use performance-based brake tests to determine whether
a truck or bus complies with brake performance safety
standards. PBBTs are expected to save time and their
use could increase the number of CMVs that can be inspected
in a given time. The new rule applies to all CMVs and
CMV combinations weighing over 10,000 pounds, and is
effective on February 5, 2003. The docket number for
the final rule is FHWA-1999-6266.
OSHA Publications
- Longshoring Industry. OSHA Publication 2232, (2001), 492 KB
PDF,
291 pages. Contains standards related to the longshoring industry.
- Longshoring
and Marine Terminals: Hazard Abatement Summaries.
OSHA Publication, (2002, October). Also available as a
2 MB PDF,
97 pages.
- Materials Handling and Storage. OSHA, (2002), 560 KB
PDF,
41 pages.
- Material Safety Data (MSDS) Sheet.
OSHA Form 174.
- Servicing Single-Piece and Multi-Piece Rim Wheels. OSHA, (1998), 443 KB
PDF,
29 pages.
- Shipyard Industry. OSHA, (1998), 561 KB
PDF,
220 pages.
OSHA Slide Presentations and Handouts
- Health and Safety of Truckers within the United States. OSHA, (2002, May 31), 852 KB
PPT*,
21 slides. Describes OSHA's role in worker protection, common trucker
injuries and OSHA violations, OSHA and DOT jurisdiction,
and how OSHA addresses trucker hazards. Presented at the
OSHA North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Land
Transport Conference.
- Health and Safety of Truckers within
the United States Handout. OSHA, (2002), 76 KB
PDF,
2 pages. Includes links to OSHA, BLS, DOT, CDC/NIOSH, DOT and FMCSA.
Emergency and Disaster Response Links
Unforeseen emergencies and disasters can threaten your employees, customers, or the public; they
can disrupt or shut down operations or cause major physical or environmental damage. Trucking employers need to plan for
these events.
Some useful related links are:
- DiasterHelp.
US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Supports a
multitude of Federal Agency missions including FEMA’s
mission to reduce the loss of life and property and protect
our institutions from all hazards. The partnerships
established will support the Federal mission to provide the
nation a comprehensive, risk-based emergency management
program of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
- Emergency
Preparedness and Response. OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page.
- Evacuation
Plans and Procedures. OSHA eTool. Assists small businesses implement an emergency action plan, and comply with OSHA's
emergency standards.
- < name="Privacy Policy Noted - 01/09/08 SW"A title="Federal Emergency Management Agency" href="http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owaredirect.html?p_url=http://www.fema.gov"> Federal
Emergency Management Agency. US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA). Leads the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and
recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains
first responders, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program.
- General
Services Administration. Serves as online gateway to GSA, the federal government’s premier acquisition agency.
- National
Hurricane Center. National Weather Service. Informs the public about the hurricane hazards and provide
knowledge which can be used to take action. This information
can be used to save lives at work, home, while on the road,
or on the water.
- Natural
Hazards Center. Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Serves
as a national and international clearinghouse of knowledge concerning the social science and policy aspects of
disasters. The Center collects and shares research and experience related to preparedness for, response to,
recovery from, and mitigation of disasters, emphasizing the link between hazards mitigation and sustainability to both
producers and users of research and knowledge on extreme events.
- Transport
Canada - Road. Transport Canada. Includes links
to safety pages, to information for drivers and motor
carriers, to infrastructure and to the transport of
dangerous goods.
- PHMSA
Office of Hazardous Materials Safety. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).
Formulates, issues and revises Hazardous Materials
Regulations (HMR) under the Federal Hazardous Materials
Transportation Law. The HMR cover hazardous materials
definitions and classifications, hazard communications,
shipper and carrier operations, training and security
requirements, and packaging and container specifications.
*These files are provided for downloading only. |
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