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Hazard Identification in Road Freight Transport Industry

The Road Freight Transport Industry is a hazardous one as it is common in both fatalities by industry and serious claims. In Australia, the number of deaths caused by Road Freight Transport industry surpasses other industries by 10 times over a time-span of 8 years. Strains and sprains accounts for 45% of the total injury claims made in the industry.

Common Road Freight Transport Industry Injury Causes:

These include the following:

  • Slips, falls and trips (28 per cent)- Of which majority cases are related to tripping over objects scattered on the ground and falling from trucks
  • Muscular stress while putting down, lifting and carrying objects (19%)
  • Vehicle incidents (8%)- of which majority occur because of being hit by boxes, crates and other containers or a truck
  • Muscular stress while supervising objects (15%)

Also, claim cost and median time lost from work is higher (consistently) in case of the Road Freight Transport industry in comparison to other industry averages.

Causes of Fatalities:

It has been reported that 550,000 people in Australia work for the Road Freight Transport industry. Some common serious injury or death causes for workers belonging to this industry include the following:

  • struck by object
  • vehicle (overturns and collisions)
  • falls from height
  • fatigue
  • health and co morbidity.
  • Trips, falls and slips at level
  • hazardous manual tasks

What is the Remedy?

The only way to find a solution to this problem is by making improvement in vehicle and road safety and design features along with improvement in post-crash medical treatment facilities. The Australian WHS Strategy Healthy has successfully implemented the concept of ‘Safe By Design’ for safety in road transport tasks.

If you are concerned about your safety in this industry, you can opt for the services of workplace safety consultants who can provide Occupational Health & Safety and Environmental monitoring solutions by incorporating impartial health and safety compliance services.