# Presentation: 533677

## Health & Safety of Truckers within the United States

## Today’s Presentation

- OSHA’s role in worker protection
- Common trucker injuries and OSHA violations
- Federal OSHA standards & programs that protect truckers
- Sources for OSHA information

## OSH Act

- Enacted in 1970
- Defines the purpose of OSHA regulations
- Defines what OSHA can do
- Contains the General Duty Clause
- Addresses OSHA jurisdiction

## OSHA Standards

- Found in Title 29 CFR
- Apply if employer has one or more employees
- Most apply to the work operation, not just the industry
- Most are performance-oriented

## Special Programs

- Ergonomics

- Hispanic Worker Outreach

**Notes:**
OSHA also has special programs that should help employers and employees in the trucking industry.

Based on the ergonomic injuries seen among truckers, OSHA’s special program on ergonomics is good to know about.  OSHA recognizes that ergonomics injuries are serious hazards and plans to reduce these injuries in 4 ways:
1) research, 2) industry-specific guidelines and information, 3) training, and 4) enforcement.  I’ll tell you a bit more about this program later.  

Hispanic Worker Outreach: 
OSHA is making a concerted effort to provide OSHA information in Spanish to help Hispanic workers within the United States.  The information is posted on OSHA’s website.  Commercial carriers from Mexico may also find this useful.  

## OSHA & DOT Jurisdiction

- DOT covers
- Commercial motor vehicles
- Safe design of trucks
- Physical requirements of drivers
- OSHA covers
- Safety & health hazards at terminals & warehouses
- HAZMAT responses

**Notes:**
If the vehicle meets one of these criteria, it is considered a commercial motor vehicle by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). 
gross vehicle weight of 10,001 or more pounds; or 
designed to transport more than 8 passengers, including the driver; or 
used to transport materials that require a placard.  
Source: 49 CFR 390.5

DOT covers commercial motor vehicles in some of the ways listed here:
DOT specifies construction and design of commercial motor vehicles, including parts and accessories needed for safe operation of the vehicles.  DOT covers such items as Step, Handhold, and Deck Requirements for Commercial Motor Vehicles (Part 399 Subpart L), Lighting Devices, Reflectors, and Electrical Equipment (Part 393 Subpart B), Braking Systems (Part 393 Subpart C), and even Floors of the vehicles (Part 393.84)

DOT also regulates physical qualifications and medical examinations of drivers (49 CFR Part 391) 

The same types of things that DOT covers for CMVs >10,000 lbs are often covered by State laws when the commercial vehicles is <10,000 pounds (and are not placarded for carrying hazardous materials).

## OSHA & State Plans

- Federal OSHA:
- 34 States & territories
- Federal OSHA standards
- State Plans:
- 23 States & territories
- State Plan standards or use Federal OSHA standards
- Must provide equal or greater protection

## Common Trucker Injuries 

- Strains & sprains  (50%)
- Bruises
- Fractures
- Cuts & lacerations
- Soreness/pain
- Multiple traumatic injuries

**Notes:**

Data are from the 2000 BLS Injury & Illness Lost Work Day Statistics
The reasons for lost work days were:

Sprains & strains – 50%
Bruises – 10%
Fractures – 8%
Cuts & lacerations – 6%
Soreness/pain – 6%
Multiple traumatic injuries – 3%

Of those injured:
94% were men
32% were aged 35-44 (23% were aged 25-34 and 23% were aged 45-54)
92% were classified as Laborers
53% had been with the employer 1-5 years (28% had been employed 3 months – 11 months, 36% had been employed more than 5 years)
49% were White, non-Hispanic (6% were Hispanic, however, for 35% a race or ethnic origin was not reported)

## Events or Exposures Leading to Trucker Injury

- Overexertion
- Contact with objects or equipment
- Being struck by an object
- Falling (on the same level)
- Transportation accidents

**Notes:**

These are the causes of (or events leading up to) the lost work day injury or illness:

Overexertion – 29%
Contact with objects or equipment – 25%
Falling (on the same level) – 11%
Transportation accidents – 12%

## Serious Violations Cited1997-2001

- Serious Violations Cited1997-2001

- Improper guarding of grinding machinery
- Lack of eyewashes & showers
- Unsafe forklifts
- Grounding of electrical equipment
- Lack of personal protective equipment
- No guardrails on platforms or
- 	loading docks

**Notes:**
During the past 5 years, the serious violations OSHA commonly found in the trucking industry (SIC 4213) included:

Abrasive Wheel Machinery (Placed #1 and #2 in total serious violations). Violations for missing or improperly adjusted tongue guards (20 violations) and work rests (16 violations) on bench and pedestal grinders.
Medical Services and First Aid (15 violations).  Cited violation was not providing suitable drenching facilities when there was exposure to injurious corrosive materials.
Powered Industrial Trucks (14 violations). OSHA found employers operating forklifts that were poorly maintained and in unsafe condition
Grounding of Electrical Equipment (12 violations).  OSHA cited employers for not grounding equipment and ensuring the path to ground was permanent and continuous.
Personal Protective Equipment (11 violations).  OSHA found that employers weren’t providing the personal protective equipment necessary to protect employees.  This might include hard hats, eye protection, gloves, or other types of PPE..
Guardrails (10 violations).  OSHA found that employers didn’t have guardrails on loading docks and platforms over 4 feet

Other than Serious Citations for programmatic violations included:
Hazard Communication (33 violations). Employers lacked a written program.
Recordkeeping (37 violations). Employers didn’t have a workplace injury and illness log (the OSHA 300 log)--or didn’t keep it up to date.  

## How OSHA Addresses Trucker Hazards

- Standards
- Ergonomics Program
- Complaint Handling
- Outreach

**Notes:**

The standards and programs called out are those that seem most important to note based on the injury/illness data, and on serious violations cited.

They apply to warehouse and terminal workers as well as to truck drivers.  

## OSHA Standards Address...

- Loading & unloading
- Vehicle maintenance
- Other terminal & warehouse activities
- Emergency response

## Ergonomics Program Offers...

- Ergonomics reports from OSHA inspections in trucking industry
- Frequently-asked questions & OSHA answers

## Complaint Program Offers...

- Easy ways to file complaints
- OSHA website
- OSHA 800 number
- Letter
- Confidentiality of complainant
- Policies & procedures in OSHA Instruction CPL 2.115 (OSHA website)

**Notes:**
Complaints from Mexican truck drivers regarding US-worksites will be handled according to OSHA’s standard complaint handling procedures.  

## OSHA Outreach Includes...

- Training materials
- Publications
- materials in Spanish
- Consultation program

**Notes:**

As I mentioned earlier, OSHA now provides information in Spanish to Hispanic workers within the United States.  Right now, we offer:
an overview of OSHA and its mission; 
press releases
information about employer and employee rights and responsibilities; 
procedures for filing complaints electronically in Spanish
OSHA policies for imminent danger situations, refusal to work, and discrimination against those who complain about unsafe conditions
access to OSHA offices & consultation program (English) and publications page (Spanish) 

Additional information will be added in months to come. 

## Sources of Information

- OSHA website
- 	_[www.osha.gov](slide19.xml)_
- OSHA offices
- 	Organized by _[Regions](slide20.xml)__ & Area Offices_
- OSHA toll-free hotline
- 	1-800-321-OSHA
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- 	_[www.fmcsa.dot.gov](file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/boulosl/Local%20Settings/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/OLKF/Health%20&%20Safety%20of%20Truckers2.ppt#www.fmcsa.dot.gov)_
- 	1-800-DOT-SAFT

**Notes:**
Click on osha.gov for a web site view and the Regions link for a graphic of the different regions and the FMCSA link for a screen shot of the page.

The FMCSA toll free number does not answer compliance questions.  The screeners only provide the number to the regional FMCSA office that can answer your question.

## Conclusions

- OSHA focuses on safe & healthful working conditions
- Employers must comply with standards
- Special Ergonomics Program addresses key source of injuries
- There are multiple sources of information & assistance

## Slide 18

## www.osha.gov

**Notes:**
Click on the web page to go back.

## OSHA’s Regions

**Notes:**
Click on the web page to go back.

## www.fmcsa.dot.gov

**Notes:**
Click on the web page to go back.