Objective: Quantify the conditions of driver slip/fall injury in a fleet setting.
Method: A local fleet operator provided access to one year of driver injury reports. The verbatim (text) reports were analyzed to identify slip and fall injuries associated with the cab and trailer.
Results: For this fleet, 16% of driver injuries were due to slips and falls. A total of 97 injuries involving cab IE were identified, of which 72% occurred on egress. (Slip/fall injuries involving the trailer or load were more common, 122 total injuries.) Weather conditions, such as ice or snow, were mentioned as a factor in less than 10% of cab IE incidents. Drivers most commonly reported that their injuries were caused by contact with the ground rather than the equipment.
Key Findings:
• Acute driver injuries are about three times as common on egress as on ingress.
• Even in a northern U.S. fleet that includes less-than-truckload and pickup-and-delivery operations, weather conditions may account for only about 10% of injuries.
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