Assessment of physical work demands of long-distance industrial gas delivery truck drivers.

AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the work-related physical demands of long-distance truck drivers employed by a large gas delivery company in Canada. METHODS: A total of 15 truck drivers participated in a data collection that included self-reporting assessments, field observations, and direct measurements to describe daily tasks organization, postural demands, physical workload, and force exertions. RESULTS: Truck drivers' work was characterized by long working days ranging from 9.9 to 15.1 h (mean = 11.4 h), with half (49%) of the total working time spent behind the wheel. The overall workload as measured by relative cardiac strain (18.7% RHR) was found excessive for the long term given the shift duration. Peaks of heart rate in excess of 30 beats per minute above the daily average occurred mainly while operating valves and handling heavy hoses during gas deliveries. The task of delivering gas at a client's site required a moderate work rate on average (8.3 mlO2/kg/min) requiring 24.4% or maximum work capacity on average. CONCLUSION: Based on multiple data sources, this study highlights the risks of over-exertion and of excessive physical fatigue in the truck drivers' work that are coherent with the high prevalence of self-reported musculoskeletal pain in this group of workers.

Assessment of physical work demand of short distance industrial gas delivery truck drivers.

AIM: This study assessed the work-related physical demands of short-distance truck drivers employed by a large gas delivery company in Canada. METHODS: A total of 19 truck drivers participated in the data collection, which included a combination of self-reports, field observations and direct measurements to report on the work shift task composition, postures, physical workload, and force exertions. RESULTS: Driving (mean of 43% of daily work shift) and delivering gas cylinders to customers (28%) were the main tasks of the truck drivers. Delivering gas cylinders measured as moderate level work and daily work duration was not excessive with respect to mean cardiac strain for most drivers. However, manual handling and force exertion activities were frequent and deemed unsafe most of the time with respect to existing guidelines on manual materials handling. CONCLUSION: This study documents physical risk factors that are consistent with musculoskeletal pain prevalence reported for short-distance truck drivers.

Risk factors associated with self-reported musculoskeletal pain among short and long distance industrial gas delivery truck drivers.

AIM: This study investigated and compared the associations between self-reported exposures to individual as well as work-related physical and psychosocial risk factors for musculoskeletal (MS) disorders and the prevalence of MS symptoms in different body areas among short- (P&D) and long-distance (Bulk delivery) truck drivers working for the same large gas delivery company in Canada. METHODS: 123 truck drivers nationwide participated in this questionnaire-based cross-sectional study. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: 43.1% of drivers reported MS pain in at least one body area over the past 12 months and 26.8% over the past 7 days. Bulk drivers had a significantly higher prevalence of MS pain than P&D drivers for both periods. When P&D and Bulk drivers were pooled together, belonging to the Bulk subgroup emerged as the strongest factor for low back pain (OR = 8.45, p = 0.002), for shoulder pain (OR = 3.70, p = 0.027) and for MS pain in any body area (OR = 4.05, p = 0.006). In Bulk drivers "High effort-reward imbalance" was strongly associated with MS pain in any body area (OR = 6.47, p = 0.01), with shoulder pain (OR = 4.95, p = 0.016), and with low back pain (OR = 4.51, p = 0.02). In P&D drivers MS pain in any body area was strongly associated with "Working with hands above shoulders" (OR = 6.58, p = 0.009) and "Whole-body vibration" (OR = 5.48, p = 0.018), while shoulder pain was strongly associated with "Hand-arm vibration" (OR = 7.27, p = 0.041). CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of MS pain was higher among industrial gas delivery truck drivers than in the general Quebec male worker population, and higher for Bulk drivers compared to P&D drivers. MS pain in Bulk drivers was mainly associated with psychosocial risk factors and lifestyle; MS pain in P&D drivers was mainly associated with physical risk factors.