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Nearly 60 per cent of truck drivers in a current Canadian research reported experiencing musculoskeletal (MSD) ache and discomfort on the job, despite the fact that it could be preventable.
“Given the truth that MSDs account for almost one-half of all work-related sicknesses and the transportation sector makes up a good portion of that, understanding the danger components related to musculoskeletal issues is necessary,” stated lead creator Sonja Senthanar, a doctoral candidate within the College of Public Well being and Well being Methods. “Whereas the hyperlink between trucking and MSDs has been studied in different nations, there’s a dearth of analysis in Canada.”
In response to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, truck driving is the second commonest occupation in Canada, using almost one in 35 males between the ages of 20 and 64 years (examine).
Public well being researchers on the College of Waterloo surveyed 107 male truck drivers passing by way of two standard freeway stops in Southern Ontario and located that 57 per cent had skilled musculoskeletal ache and discomfort, particularly low again ache. They discovered an affiliation between this ache and discomfort and particular threat components, together with organizational security local weather, stage of threat related to the job, exhaustion from work duties, being married and having greater schooling ranges.
Senthanar stated that being married and extra educated are presumably related to ache and discomfort as a result of the presence of a partner and information gained from schooling can improve consciousness of musculoskeletal signs — and subsequently charges of reporting.
Co-author Philip Bigelow, a professor within the College of Public Well being and Well being Methods, stated, “Bodily exposures reminiscent of awkward postures, repetition, lifting, entire physique vibration and extended sitting, in addition to private components reminiscent of bodily health and job satisfaction, are identified to be related to the event of MSDs. Since driving a truck entails a wide range of these threat components, applications that handle these a number of components are wanted.”
Bigelow stated that plenty of massive Canadian carriers have adopted applications that take holistic approaches that embody lowering vibration exposures by way of improved seating, modifying workloads and bodily duties, in addition to selling the general wellness of drivers by encouraging bodily exercise and wholesome consuming.
Researchers on the College of Waterloo are members of a Canadian staff of researchers that’s engaged with stakeholders within the business to establish such wholistic applications and to judge their impacts. They hope that corporations with profitable applications can act as champions of driver well being and wellness to enhance working situations for all truck drivers.
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Supplies supplied by College of Waterloo. Word: Content material could also be edited for type and size.
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