Occupational risks in road transport: prevention, your best travel companion

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The prevention of occupational hazards in road transport is essential. Carriers spend many hours behind the wheel and handle heavy loads, which can lead to workplace accidents that, in some cases, can be fatal. The involvement of company managers to prevent this type of risk in the field of road freight transport is essential, since investing time and money is synonymous with improving work quality.

In the import and export of goods, prevention is a key factor and, together with it, improving working conditions, reducing precariousness and controlling driving and rest times are the turning point to avoid mishaps in this sector. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Employment and Social Security, the occupational accident rate in the logistics and transport sector has increased by 2.5% compared to last year. In the first quarter of this year there have been more than 5,000 accidents in land transport activities that have caused sick leave. Therefore, it is clear that all prevention is always little.

What occupational hazards exist in road transport?

In this sense, in the operations of export and import of goods by road, workers are exposed to frequent risks, such as falls, run over, accidents, exposure to vibrations and psychosocial factors. To a lesser extent, carriers can also experience falling objects during cargo handling, shocks caused by machines, entrapment or crushing due to a machine overturning, overexertion or exposure to noise and electrical contact. Finally and occasionally, workers in this sector face other risks, such as exposure to extreme temperatures or harmful substances, collisions with moving objects, entrapment between machines, fires or projection of liquids.

How to prevent occupational accidents in land transport?

To make the prevention of occupational risks in road transport effective, the turning point is to offer training to workers in a practical way and adapted to the needs and demands of the company: put the worker in a situation of what may happen and advise him of how it has to act is the most effective way.

In addition, the HR managers of the companies must detect the causes for which the damage occurs and put emphasis on eradicating it. For this, preventive measures hold the key to reducing accidents in road transport. Remember: prevention is better than cure.