ihsa.caiHSa.ca Magazine Vol. 13 Issue 28

The greater the impact force, the higher the bone-on-bone compression forceSeatLevel–7ormoretimesyourbodyweightFloorLevel–5to6timesyourbodyweightBottomStep–1to1.5timesyourbodyweight

Slip and fall injuriesAnotherriskfromjumpingoffatrailerorfromatruckcabisaslipandfallinjuryafterthelanding.Thehigherthejumpdistance,thehigherthelandingforce.Inordertomaintainbalanceandpreventasliporafall,thecontactfrictionbetweenyourfeetandthegroundmustbehighuponlanding.Ifthefrictionislow,aslipor a fall can occur.

The risk of a slip and fall injury can also increase if you landonaslipperysurfacesuchasice,mud,orwastematerialsontheground.Landingawkwardlyonanunevensurfacecanleadtoankleandkneeinjuriesfromtornmusclesandtendons.

We’vealldoneit.We’vejumpeddownofftrucks,tractors, trailers, and other types of vehicles and equipmentinsteadoftakingthetimetoproperlyclimbdown.Manyworkersjumptothegroundbecauseit’sfaster.Butthefasterwaymaynotbethesaferway.

Whenyoujumpdownfromthecabofatruckorthebackofatrailer,youriskaslip,afall,oramusculoskeletalinjury.Yourbodyhastoabsorbtheimpactofthelanding.Thehigherupyoujumpfrom,thegreatertheimpactofthelandingonyourbody.Usuallyit’syourlowerback,knees,oranklesthatsufferthedamage.Asanyonewhohashadoneknows,thesetypes of injuries are often life-long. They can continue tocausediscomfortlongafterthey’vehealed.

Theimpactforceofjumpingfromthebottomstepofatruckcomparedwithjumpingfromthefloorlevelorseatlevelcanincreasefrom1–1.5timesyourbodyweightto5–7timesyourbodyweight.Theimpactforce will also increase if the landing area contains a hardsurfaceorisinatightspacecomparedtoifitcontainssoftsoil,mats,orfoamsthatallowtheimpactforce to dissipate.

Spine and joint injuriesThehighimpactforceofjumpingdownincreasesyourriskofseriouslyinjuringyourlowerbackandlowerlimbs.The force of landing on the ground intensifies the shock orimpactloadonthespinalcolumn,whichcanleadtoincreasedbone-on-bonecompressionforces.

Researchhasshownthatrepetitivebone-on-boneimpactisadirectcauseofspinaldiscdegenerationandothersoft-tissuebackinjuries.Theforceoflandingcanalsocauseasimilarbone-on-boneeffectinyourjoints,such as your knees and ankles.

Don’t Jump Down

Alwaysusethree-pointcontactwhenmountinganddismounting.

Sittingonthebackofatrailerorthesideofanopentrailerbeforejumpingwilllessentheimpact.

9iHSa.ca Magazine Vol. 13 Issue 2ihsa.ca

PreventionMusculoskeletaldisorders(MSDs),slips,andfallsareamongtheleadingcausesofinjuriesin Ontario. To help prevent these injuries, makethefollowingsolutionspartofyourworkplacehealthandsafetyprogram.

1. Climbdownfromthevehicleratherthanjump.Mountanddismountonlywhenthevehicle is parked.

2. Avoidwearinglooseortornclothingthatcancatchonthevehicleorequipment.

3. Provideproperrampsorladderssoworkerscansafelyenterandexittrucks,trailers,andotherheavyequipment.Takeextracareinwet,snowy,icy,orotherdangerous weather conditions.

4. Installslip-resistantstepsandgrabrailstohelpworkersmountanddismountequipmentsafely.Keeprunningboards,treads,steps,footholds,andplatformsclearofmud,ice,snow,grease,debris,and other hazards.

5. Whengettingofforonequipment,alwaysfacetheequipmentandmaintainthree-pointcontact—keepeithertwohandsandone foot or two feet and one hand on theequipmentatalltimes.Breakthree-point contact only when you reach the ground,thecabofthevehicle,orastableplatform.

6. Ifyoucan’tavoidjumpingdown,getasclosetothegroundaspossible.Sittingontheedgeandjumpingfromaseatedpositionwilllessentheimpactonyourbody.

FormoreinformationonhowtopreventMSDs,visittheMSDs and Ergonomics page at ihsa.ca/topics_hazards

Seat level – 7 or more times your body weight

Floor level – 5 to 6 times your body weight

Bottom Step – 1 to 1.5 times your body weight