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The Washington State trucking industry has some of the highest workers’ compensation claim costs and claim rates compared to other industries. Surveillance data from Washington State reveals that the most common and costly injuries in trucking are musculoskeletal disorders, falls, and motor vehicle collisions. Injured worker case follow-up interviews revealed these injuries were associated with four common tasks: 1) loading and unloading including manual handling, 2) securing loads, 3) cab ingress/egress, and 4) walking around the job site.
Recognizing the gap in injury prevention in trucking for injuries other than motor vehicle collisions, the Trucking Injury Reduction Emphasis through Surveillance (TIRES) program was initiated in 2004. TIRES mission is to partner with stakeholders to transform surveillance data into relevant injury prevention materials.
METHODS:
The TIRES surveillance system identifies and monitors all reported work-related claims in the trucking industry with time loss (TL) of at least 4 days. Workers’ compensation data and injured worker case follow-up interviews collect injured worker, employer, injury and outcome characteristics. These data inform our prevention efforts with the TIRES steering committee.
The TIRES steering committee meets biannually to discuss current issues in trucking, injury trends and to prioritize the occupational safety and health needs of the industry. The steering committee reviews and critiques our prevention materials monthly via email, and is “on call” to answer industry-related questions. The steering committee supplements our surveillance data with real-world scenarios, industry specific language and injury prevention tips to create relevant safety training materials.
The steering committee was the main force behind the development of our most popular prevention pieces – the interactive simulations of injury scenarios. These simulations, re-create real world work-related hazards, utilize scientific data and produce impactful lessons for truck drivers.
Prevention efforts include the use of social media via a dedicated website, twitter, a blog, injury narratives, economic case studies, prevention posters, and online simulation tools.
RESULTS:
From 2005 through 2010, there were 10,661 compensable claims from the trucking industry in Washington State. State Fund (n= 6,397) workers’ compensation costs totaled over 270 million dollars and 1.2 million days of time loss.
Other workers’ compensation and safety programs (AL, MT, and Trucking Safety Council, BC) have asked to use TIRES materials and to partner in developing additional materials.
CONCLUSIONS:
Working with industry partners to develop prevention materials and set program priorities improves both the commitment towards prevention from the industry and legitimacy of the prevention messages.