Delivery drivers beware! As anyone who operates a delivery vehicle for a living surely knows, there are a vast number of opportunities for potential injury to occur while on the job. These can include not only incidents that occur suddenly and sometimes without warning, but also the more long-term types of injuries that can happen over time due to the rigorous and often repetitive nature of this kind of work. Understanding the conditions that factor into many of the most common injuries that afflict professional delivery drivers can go a long way toward helping prevent some of the more avoidable accidents that occur.
Driving can be a dangerous business
While any job that requires a significant amount of driving comes with an increased risk of both fatal and nonfatal injuries, it may be surprising that the majority of nonfatal injuries which involve delivery truck drivers usually are not related to actual transportation part of the job. In fact, based on findings released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that included data collected from 2003 to 2012 and which surveyed the occupational injuries and illnesses of delivery truck and tractor-trailer drivers, transportation-related incidents made up only 13 percent of injuries and illnesses for delivery drivers and only 14 percent for tractor-trailer drivers.
So where does the danger really lie for delivery truck drivers? The results of this report broke down in the following way:
Delivery Truck Drivers
● 41% – Overexertion and bodily reaction
● 23% – Slipping, tripping or falling
● 19% – Contact made with objects or equipment
● 13% – Transportation incidents
61% of the injuries caused by slipping, tripping or falling for delivery drivers were due to the conditions of the ground, floors and walkways they were using in the course of the job, with 7% of those including conditions caused by weather, like snow, sleet and ice.
Tractor-Trailer Drivers
● 35% – Overexertion and bodily reaction
● 30% – Slipping, tripping or falling
● 17% – Contact made with objects or equipment
● 14% – Transportation incidents
For tractor-trailer drivers, the most common source of overexertion injuries came from lifting large containers, boxes or packages, causing 40% of this type of injury. A close second source at 34% was the lifting and/or lowering of these same objects.
Drivers must seek medical care when needed
It is important for professional delivery drivers in any capacity to handle injuries that happen on the job promptly, informing their supervisors of what has occurred and immediately seeking the appropriate medical attention. Injuries that go untreated or which aren’t given the proper amount of time to heal before returning to such a strenuous job can often turn into more long-term conditions that may contribute to further injuries or health issues in the future. Drivers who have been injured on the job who do not feel that they are being given fair treatment throughout the recovery for an injury that either occurred at or which was the result of their position should always seek the counsel of an attorney who is knowledgeable about personal workplace injuries and who can help ensure that they receive the compensation they deserve.
