Down load Preventing Injuries in the Trucking Industry, Focus Report (940KB)

cover trucking report


The information provided on the linked sites is solely the view of the authors and does not reflect the official views of TIRES and / or L&I.

What's your exit strategy? Know the forces involved in exiting your truck cab or trailer. Try our force simulator: Click here to access..

exit game

abobe reader

Many documents on this website are in the pdf format. To download a free Adobe Reader® click here.

Truck driver health and safety

Truck drivers face a disproportionately high risk for fatal crash-related injuries and for serious health disorders. The 2004 fatality rate for U.S. heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers was 48.2 per 100,000 workers, approximately 11 times the rate for the general worker population.

For more inforamtion go to NIOSH Blog .

Recent article in Transport Topics Online

Even on Foot, Trucking is Risky Business

Safety Plan

Index of safety plan (under construction)

Check out Washington's workers' compensation Rates Watch for information on why it's important to manage your workers' compensation claims.

tire

Tune up your safety plan

First, look back over the previous year and review the activities you carried out. Then, to keep your safety program effective, review the past year to make sure that your program includes best practices and then see what you might need to add.

Were new employees:

What about your safety committee or safety meetings? Did you document the issues your employees brought up and track them to resolution? Were minutes of the meetings prepared and attendance taken? Each of these activities demonstrates management’s involvement and support for safety.

Does your safety program need changes? Based on research on distracted driving, the U.S. Department of Transportation recently banned texting while driving a truck or bus. Does your company have a policy on this and other forms of distracted driving? If not, perhaps now is the time to draft one and implement it. Ask your drivers to give you feedback on the policy to make it better.

You could just continue with the status quo for your safety program, but then your program falters and becomes harder to maintain. Just like keeping your fleet in tune for best performance, a tune up of your safety program keeps it effective.