“Given the truth that MSDs account for almost one-half of all work-related sicknesses and the transportation sector makes up a good portion of that, understanding the danger components related to musculoskeletal problems is necessary,” stated lead writer Sonja Senthanar, a doctoral candidate within the Faculty of Public Well being and Well being Methods. “Whereas the hyperlink between trucking and MSDs has been studied in different international locations, there’s a dearth of analysis in Canada.”

In keeping with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, truck driving is the second commonest occupation in Canada, using almost one in 35 males between the ages of 20 and 64 years (verify).

Public well being researchers on the College of Waterloo surveyed 107 male truck drivers passing by means of two standard freeway stops in Southern Ontario and located that 57 per cent had skilled musculoskeletal ache and discomfort, particularly low again ache. They discovered an affiliation between this ache and discomfort and particular threat components, together with organizational security local weather, degree of threat related to the job, exhaustion from work duties, being married and having increased training ranges.

Senthanar stated that being married and extra educated are presumably related to ache and discomfort as a result of the presence of a partner and information gained from training can enhance consciousness of musculoskeletal signs — and subsequently charges of reporting.

Co-author Philip Bigelow, a professor within the Faculty of Public Well being and Well being Methods, stated, “Bodily exposures resembling awkward postures, repetition, lifting, entire physique vibration and extended sitting, in addition to private components resembling bodily health and job satisfaction, are recognized to be related to the event of MSDs. Since driving a truck entails a wide range of these threat components, applications that handle these a number of components are wanted.”

Bigelow stated that numerous giant Canadian carriers have adopted applications that take holistic approaches that embrace lowering vibration exposures by means of improved seating, modifying workloads and bodily duties, in addition to selling the general wellness of drivers by encouraging bodily exercise and wholesome consuming.

Researchers on the College of Waterloo are members of a Canadian crew of researchers that’s engaged with stakeholders within the trade to determine such wholistic applications and to guage their impacts. They hope that corporations with profitable applications can act as champions of driver well being and wellness to enhance working circumstances for all truck drivers.