Accidents ...what's the Truth?

Amen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I deliver hardware to your hometown hardware store. Imagine everything in that store. Half the stuff in heavy plastic "totes" the rest on the floor and when the Good Lord sees fit a palate and a palate jack to get it to the back. I unload it by hand from a full size OTR rig I managed to somehow wiggle back behind the store. I swear I think the loaders are all evil and must just put the stuff on a conveyor and let it tumble in however with a net that would make Spiderman jealous (this stuff would cling to a mirror!) separating the store's loads. I get beat to hell and back by my freight every load. S#!+ falls on me, shifts and you fall, I bump it, it scrapes me, bruises me and all kinds of stuff and I got this particular permanent route cause the guy on it slipped off the back of the trailer and broke his back. God be with him, he is in a wheelchair for life now.

I sit here typing with 9 fingers because my right middle finger is three times the size of my left b3cause I jammed it when a tote fell and I blocked it from bashing my head. I'm sporting a mouse on my right eye because the totes I was standing on to free some PVC pipe that wouldn't slide out because they were wedged in the nose by some boxes that shifted, gave way and I fell into the side of the trailer and hit my eye on a box corner. Thankfully I wear my Safety glasses so I still have my eyeball and the mouse is just where the edge of the glasses mashed me. I got bruises in various stages of healing that if I went to the ER for anything would make them wonder if I wasn't the victim of spousal abuse; which is what I put the eye bruise off to, to my customers: "I didn't do my wife right last weekend. Played golf instead of something SHE wanted to play with so she clocked me." LOL.

None of this is reported on any official report. It was just a rough week and my DM knows. We see each other at week's end. Heck, most of us joke about it. "I'll trade you my knee for your shoulder. I'll see your knee and shoulder and raise you my hands and back." LOL.

Point being; there's 23 guys and 2 gals I know spending the weekend just glad we only got a little banged up and not hurt enough to actually go to the Dr., and THOSE stats never find their way into Driver Injury Rate numbers.

Don't ask me why we do it. There's as many reasons why as there are route drivers that do it when we COULD do something different. It's like: Why play football, or soccer or rugby? You get beat up, but it's just part of the game. You do what you can to keep the injuries down but the "big one" is like Jaws; always out there. Circling somewhere waiting to strike and take the big bite.

Strictly adhere to Safety and PPE policy, body mechanics and all the other stuff they message us about every day and maybe one day we get to retire with all our faculties intact, and enjoy what we enjoy about the gig along the way.

Still . . . whoever said that driving a truck is dangerous is right. Whoever said it's not just the crashes that get us; it's the flatbedder slipping, the boxer tripping or the tanker twisting wrong or ANY of us missing a step getting in and out of the truck, or just your kidneys giving out because even though the major OEM's have vastly improved cab ride; the States of SC and IN (for just 2) have certainly not kept pace with road repair.

Truck driving is physical and demanding and dangerous on MANY levels. I'd bet a year's pay that if truth were all reported we'd be the TOP most injured profession by frequency of injury.

And we work at least 70 hours a week to make a middle, middle class income (when we get really good at our jobs).

Is we nuts? Still diesel's in the blood. What can you do but motor on and pray.

Be Safe everyone.

 

Before driving a truck I was in construction, mostly new house framing... I had many injuries on the job there.. had a nail gun recoil and shoot a nail through my thumb, sprained my ankle real bad when I had to jump from the second story outer wall while swinging trusses and they started to twirl on the crane, broke a cojple ribs when an outer wall we were raising fell back on us.. broke my nose when drilling rebar holes in some wet green treated 2 x 6s.. it was rainy and muddy and the drill slipped out of my had and coild around smacking me in the face.. broke my nose and bruiced my cheeck bone.. left a nice gash on my cheeck too...
So far in trucking.. i did scrape my elbow the other day.. and bruised my knee once.. but that is it so far...

I am not saying that there are no dangers to trucking.. and yes, one can get hurt on the job... but, I dont consider it a dangerous job... I am more at risk of injury on my weekends if I go rock climbing or go crazy on the dirt bikes... last weekend I went on a poker run to support a local MC.. there were wind advisory... and I got blown around quite a bit..

 

You may wish to reconsider you point of view:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/08/22/americas-10-deadliest-jobs-2/
The 10 Deadliest Jobs:
1. Logging workers
2. Fishers and related fishing workers
3. Aircraft pilot and flight engineers
4. Roofers
5. Structural iron and steel workers
6. Refuse and recyclable material collectors
7. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
8. Drivers/sales workers and truck drivers
9. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers
10. Construction laborers

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cfoi.t02.htm

 

I can only speak from my 9 years of experience. I have had 2 of what I would call accidents as they both totaled the truck and trailer. The first accident was when one of those Orange trucks clipped me during a white out. I went into the ditch and had to be pulled out. I am not sure if the truck was actually totaled as my time with the company came to a end well before the truck came to a stop.

The second accident was not something I can talk about due to the settlement. I can say, I am happy with the outcome.

So in nine years I have had two accidents. I have also ran over lots of signs, trees, and poles. I was not the best driver. God gave me other gifts. "Ladies, feel free to imagine what those are." However I have learned from each and every mistake, including my most recent "Walk, Don't Walk" sign.

My point is that I am not a driver who walks through raindrops. But I was not injured in either of my two major wrecks. The trucks are designed in a manner to allow the cab and engine to take a lot of energy out of the crash. The 379 Pete that gave up its life to protect me did its job well. Of course God had the majority of a hand in it. But my safety is never in doubt.

Remember to driver slower then you think you should be. Speed limit 70, go 67. Speed limit 45 through a construction zone at night with all those barriers, 40. Speed may not kill but it will get you fired.

 

I believe logging is at the top of the list for work-place accidents and for being the most dangerous job.

 

No.. I dont want to reconsider my point of view.. I know what my job entails.. I do it 6 days a week.. I dont need a forbes article to tell me how to think.. I think for myself... I am in good shape, I can easily get I. And out of my truck safely.. I am sure, absolutely certain that many of the driver injuries from drivers gettiing hurt getting in and out of their truck has a lot to do with the drivers health and not being in shape... if a driver has bad knees from being over weight, then yes they are at a higher risk of injury.. but not just on the job trucking... they are at a higher risk of getti g hurt at home too..

I was at the yard tightening up my straps on my load.. another driver got off the scale and parked next to me to check his straps.. he was a very, very large guy.. all he did was slap his hand on the straps as he walked around the truck.. by the time he got all the way around the truck to climb back in.. he was out of breath and tired.. he struggled to get back in... now, he is a nice guh.. I have talked to him a few times... but.. he is at a higber risk of an on the job injury because of the poor shape he is in... so, yes, truck is more dangerous for him...

 

I posted the Forbes article because they back it up with stats from Bureau of Labor. You have every right to believe what you wish, right or wrong though it may be.

Realize that you, like me have the ambition, motivation, incentive, desire... choose whatever term you wish, to take care of ourselves and maintain a healthy level of fitness. Realize also, that is not the norm, most people do not have the desire, ambition, et al, to do so and that is what sets the trend, earns the statistics, influences the insurers, and drives regulations.

Denying all of this serves no one any good, however, I applaud your dedication to health and wish more people would do the same.

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4086736]Hi jj, well, the way things are going, teaching could very well be one of the most dangerous jobs. When I hear about school shootings, my spine just straightens out. [/QUOTE]

There's an app for that!

 

You nailed it. Crab boat work up off the coast of Alaska was at one time in the number one spot. School teachers isn't even on the top 10 list. http://newsfeed.time.com/2014/01/15/these-are-the-top-10-most-dangerous-jobs-in-the-u-s/

 

Shown below is information copied and pasted from the website, http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquely...dliest-jobs-2/.

God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!

8/22/2013 @ 11:45AM 319,932 views

America's 10 Deadliest Jobs

If your work day sometimes seems to consist of nothing but boring meetings, coffee spills, and computer glitches, consider yourself lucky.

Each year thousands of U.S. workers die from injuries on the job. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics‘ National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries shows a preliminary total of 4,383 fatal work injuries in 2012, down slightly from the final count of 4,693 in 2011.

The rate of fatal work injury for U.S. workers in 2012 fell to 3.2 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, from 3.5 in 2011. Data just released Thursday offers a preliminary count; the final 2012 data will be released in the spring of 2014 and shouldn’t be much different. Over the last five years, increases in the published counts based on additional information have ranged from 84 to 2011 fatalities per year, or about 3.5% of the revised total.

The BLS breaks down the numbers to tell us what the most dangerous professions of all in America are. The top spot on the list goes to logging workers, who lost their lives at a rate of 127.8 per 100,000 full-time workers. In total, 62 loggers were killed on the job last year.

These workers, also known as lumberjacks, typically harvest, cut and transport timber to be processed into lumber, paper and other wood products. They often perform strenuous labor in hostile environments, and the work is often intermittent and low-paying.

There are 34,050 logging workers in the U.S.–including fallers, logging equipment operators, log graders and scalers, and others—and they make $35,149 a year, on average.

In Pictures: America’s 10 Deadliest Jobs
After years in the top spot, fishermen and fisherwomen now have the second deadliest job in America. Fishing-related professionals lost their lives at a rate of 117 per 100,000 full-time workers—for a total of 32 fatalities in 2012.

Fishing is a legendarily hazardous occupation, particularly Alaskan shellfishing, and fatalities have been elevated in recent years. High compensation helps offset the risks and seasonal fluctuations that come with the work.

Airplane pilots have the third deadliest jobs, according to the BLS. Like loggers, pilots are menaced by the threat of malfunctioning machinery and falling heavy objects. Seventy-one aircraft pilots and flight engineers were killed on the job in 2012. That’s about 53.4 per 100,000 full-time workers.

Some occupations that seem dangerous, like firefighting and tractor operation, are actually relatively safe; both of those jobs, for example, are less dangerous than being a car mechanic. Some of the safest jobs of all, with less than 10 deaths among all full-time workers, include computer and mathematical professions, and legal occupations.

In Pictures: America’s 10 Deadliest Jobs
Forty-one percent of all fatal workplace injuries happened in transportation incidents, which include car accidents, overturned vehicles and plane crashes. More than half (58%) of the 1,789 fatal transportation-related incidents occurred on highways, and involved motorized land vehicles.

The second-highest cause of worker fatalities was assaults and violent acts, which accounted for 18% of deaths. The preliminary data shows that workplace suicides fell slightly in 2010 to 258 after climbing to a high of 263 the year before.

Violence took the lives of 767 workers last year; with 463 homicides and 225 suicides. (Work-related suicides declined by 10% from 2011 totals, but violence accounted for about 17% of all fatal work injuries in 2012.) Shootings were the most frequent manner of death in both.

Slips, falls and trips killed 668 workers in 2012–about 15% of all workplace injuries. A total of 509 workers were fatally injured after being struck by equipment or objects on the job.

There were 142 multiple-fatality incidents–incidents where more than one worker was killed–in 2012, in which 341 workers died.

Ninety-two percent, or 4,045 of all on-the-job fatalities were among men, and the remaining 8%, or 338, were women. This is partly because there are disproportionately more men in dangerous industries like construction and mining. Still, women face their own dangers. About 20% of the women who died on the job were involved in roadway incidents, while more than a quarter (29%) were victims of homicides, compared with only 9% for male homicides. That is at least partly because of a concentration of women in workplaces like food and beverage stores, where a majority of all deaths are homicides.

Twenty-five percent of all work fatalities occurred among those between ages 45 and 54. Fatal work injuries among individuals under 16 years of age nearly doubled, rising from 10 in 2011 to 19 in 2012—the highest total since 2005. However, fatal work injuries among workers 55 years of age and older declined for the second consecutive year.

The private sector proved more deadly than the public sector, with private industry accounting for 90% of fatalities. Within the private sector, the construction industry and transportation and warehousing saw the largest number deaths, with 775 and 677, respectively.

Next time you find yourself complaining about piles of paperwork, obnoxious co-workers and demanding bosses—remember that your work situation could be much worse.

The 10 Deadliest Jobs:
1. Logging workers
2. Fishers and related fishing workers
3. Aircraft pilot and flight engineers
4. Roofers
5. Structural iron and steel workers
6. Refuse and recyclable material collectors
7. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
8. Drivers/sales workers and truck drivers
9. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers
10. Construction laborers

In Pictures: America’s 10 Deadliest Jobs
This article is an update of a piece that ran previously.
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