The Trucker Newspaper - October 15, 2018

8 • October 15-31, 2018 Nation Thetrucker.com T
Atlas Injury Prevention Solutions
white paper reports 46% of truck
drivers have physical discomfort
THE TRUCKER STAFF
GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — Truck drivers
continue to have one of the highest injury incidence
rates according to the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics.
With this in mind, Atlas Injury Prevention
Solutions (atlas-ips.com) has released a white
paper exploring the relationship between driver
demographics and the presence, location,
and level of physical discomfort.
The Atlas white paper, titled “Relationship
Between Demographics and Discomfort in the
Transportation Industry,” examines a population
of 102,749 drivers who completed an online
discomfort survey between 2008 and 2017.
The paper defines how discomfort correlates
to driver height, BMI, age, gender and
whether or not they handle freight.
The paper continues with suggestions on
how to use this information to reduce the risk
of injury.
The study reaches a number of conclusions,
including:
• 46 percent of drivers experience some level
of discomfort. The report says prevalence of
discomfort is a critical factor when addressing
injury prevention and that discomfort can be a
distracting force for the driver. “A driver must
make hundreds of decisions when on the road,”
the report says. “The prevalence of discomfort
can make it more difficult to respond and react,
placing the driver at a higher risk for injury.”
• Drivers under 5 feet 4 inches and above
6 feet 3 inches experience higher levels of
discomfort, but in different body parts. Shoulder
discomfort decreases and knee discomfort
increases as the trucker’s height increases. In
fact, with the tallest truckers, knee discomfort
replaces shoulder discomfort as one of the top
three areas of discomfort.
• Obesity has a significant correlation to
the presence and level of discomfort. There
is a higher incidence of obese and overweight
truckers in comparison with the information
THE TRUCKER NEWS SERVICES
JACKSON, Miss. — The Mississippi Department
of Transportation is set to begin a
project that the agency says will relieve peak
drive-time congestion on Interstate 55 in Madison
County, which is immediately north of
Jackson.
“There is a bottleneck that develops during
peak drive times on I-55 northbound entering
Madison County,” said DOT Commissioner
Dick Hall of the Central Transportation District
and chairman of the Mississippi Transportation
Commission. “This project will widen the
interstate and relieve the current bottleneck,
which will decrease congestion and drive times
and improve safety for the traveling public.”
collected by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. The CDC found an incidence
of obesity in the United States of 38 percent as
compared to the study’s finding of 48 percent.
In addition, the CDC found 71 percent of people
were either overweight or obese compared
to the study’s findings of 85 percent.
• Younger and older drivers experience discomfort
in different ways. There is a gradual
increase in prevalence of discomfort seen as
the employee ages, with the highest average
discomfort seen in employees between the
ages of 50-59 years. When the discomfort is
divided up into regions of the body, the same
pattern exists throughout the age groups. The
highest three regions are low back, head/neck
and shoulder. Head/neck and shoulder discomfort
demonstrate an increasing trend as the age
increases. However, the low back discomfort
moves in the opposite direction and there is
a negative correlation with age. Interestingly,
average low back discomfort is highest in the
younger groups and decreases as the employees’
age increases. As age increases, employees’
discomfort tends to be more consistent
throughout the regions of the body. The younger
employees tend to report more low back discomfort
than any other region.
• Discomfort reported by females is driven
more by height than gender. The study revealed
that height is the only significant gender-driven
demographic (5 feet 10 inches for men, 5 feet
5 inches for women). The study showed a 7
percent increase in the prevalence of discomfort
in women over men. However, there was
a 14 percent higher average total discomfort in
women. As was seen in the general population,
both men and women have the highest regional
discomfort in their low back, head/neck and
shoulders.
“Our goal with the research was two-fold,”
said Drew Bossen, executive vice president of
Atlas. “First, we want to provide safety managers
a greater understanding of those drivers
Mississippi DOT to widen Interstate 55 in Madison County to relieve congestion problem
©2018 FOTOSEARCH
An Atlas Injury Prevention Solutions study of discomfort among truckers revealed that
younger and older drivers experience discomfort in different ways. There is a gradual
increase in prevalence of discomfort seen as the employee ages, with the highest average
discomfort seen in employees between the ages of 50-59 years.
who may be at higher risk. Second, we want to
provide simple, real-world solutions to address
the concerns of driver discomfort, supported
by our data analysis.”
As for height, the paper said emphasis
should be placed on ergonomic cab modifications
for individuals under the height of 5 feet
4 inches and to provide the greatest amount of
clearance and support possible for taller drivers.
Regardless, the report said, proper lineof-sight
should never be compromised when
driving.
The report recommended continuation and
expansion of health and safety programs for
obese drivers to address discomfort and potential
safety concerns. Programming should focus
on exercise and nutritional challenges.
As for age, educational material and modification
programs should include information
on the effect aging has on health and the level
of discomfort. Furthermore, employees over
40 should be targeted for education on proper
material handling as the prevalence of discomfort
increases.
As for the gender factor, the report says
when considering gender as a demographic
category to drive prevention and safety programs,
carriers should first consider the other
characteristics of height, body mass index and
age. 8
The approximately $12.3 million project
was awarded to Key LLC of Madison and
will widen, mill and overlay I-55 northbound
from County Line Road to the Natchez Trace
Parkway. The project will also widen the I-55
northbound bridge under the bridge to I-220
southbound.
The project will also address drainage issues
on the West Frontage Road between Old Agency
Road and Steed Road by removing and replacing
existing curbs and gutters. Lane closures will be
necessary to perform this work. Additionally, the
west end of Old Agency Road through the roundabout
at Renaissance shopping center to the end
of state maintenance will be affected.
“The work taking place around Renaissance
will begin next week and is scheduled to
be complete before Thanksgiving and the holiday
shopping season begins,” Hall said.
The work on I-55 is not scheduled to begin
until after the work on the West Frontage Road
is complete. However, the traveling public will
begin seeing construction signs placed along
I-55 in preparation for work to begin.
Once work begins on I-55, lane closures
will be necessary. Most lane closures will occur
at night to reduce the impact to traffic.
“This project will significantly reduce congestion
and increase safety on a heavily traveled
section of I-55 in the Jackson-Metro area,”
Hall said. “We ask for the traveling public’s patience
as this project progresses and urge motorists
to exercise extreme caution by slowing
down and avoiding distractions in construction
zones.”
The DOT expects the entire project to be
complete by fall 2020.
Work zones present new traffic patterns and
configurations that may be unfamiliar to motorists.
For information about how to navigate
highway work zones safely, visit www.GoM-
DOT.com/drivesmartms.
For more information about these or other
MDOT maintenance and construction projects,
visit MDOTtraffic.com, call Mississippi 511,
download the free MDOT Traffic app or like
and follow @MississippiDOT on Facebook
and Twitter. 8
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