Put a Freeze on Injuries

Loading docks and terminal yards can be dangerous places at any time of the year. The combination of trucks, forklifts, ledges, steps, stacked freight, pallet debris, rollup doors, and pedestrians increases the risk of struck-by and slip, trip, and fall injuries. When you throw winter weather into the mix, the risk can get even worse. Snow, ice, sleet, mud, and rain reduce traction. Less sunlight, fog, and road salt create visibility problems. Employees may be rushed to meet the increased demands of holiday shipping. These conditions make injury prevention seem impossible, but it is achievable.

Knee Deep in Pain

A 46-year-old truck driver suffered a bad knee sprain after slipping off an icy trailer ladder.

It was a cold, wet winter day, and the driver was working alone in the terminal yard. He was a new employee, hired to drive a tractor with an open double-deck car carrier trailer. The trailer had several metal ladders fixed to its sides for the driver to reach the upper deck.

It Pays to Stay

The Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industries’ Stay-at-Work Program pays employers to keep injured workers on the job. That’s right, it reimburses employers for some of the costs of getting the worker quickly and safely back to work in a temporary, light-duty job. Workers’ compensation claim costs add up fast when an injured worker misses months of work or separates permanently. The company loses an experienced worker and must then pay the costs of hiring and training a replacement. The injured worker loses 30-40% of their regular pay, a financial downturn that can cause serious emotional stress. The longer the worker is away from work, the more likely they are to become permanently separated.