L&I Rolls Out Truck Driver Safety Blog
The TIRES blog is an injury prevention project developed by the agency’s Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP) program.
A new blog named TIRES from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, known as L&I, is trying to help truck drivers avoid injuries from slips and falls, collisions, and other hazards. Its inaugural entry was posted Nov. 1.
The Trucking Injury Reduction Emphasis project (TIRES) is an injury prevention project developed by the Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP) program. According to SHARP research, trucking has some of the highest injury claims and workers' compensation rates in the state.
"The goal of the TIRES project is to cut down on the injuries truckers suffer and the costs to employers associated with these injuries," said Caroline Smith, TIRES project manager. "We want to use this blog to help further this important work by sharing information on trucking safety and providing a platform where those in the trucking industry can share stories about trucking hazards and ways they've learned to minimize the risks."
The most common types of injuries in the trucking industry include:
- Slips, trips, and falls
- Strains and sprains
- Being struck by an object
- Motor vehicle collisions
The team at TIRES produces posters, videos, and hosts a website, www.KeepTruckingSafe.org, with several trucking industry partners to address these injuries. The blog is available there, or go to Tires.lni.wa.gov.