The Dangers In Deliveries
In 2015, 745 truck drivers were killed while working on the job. This statistic includes all types of truck drivers, but it helps to emphasize the dangers delivery drivers face every day. While every company is interested in enhancing worker safety, the average delivery driver faces challenges that make avoiding serious injuries difficult. Concerns with traffic, the elements, and potential theft of goods while doing a delivery all play a role in making the job of delivery driver dangerous.
The Types Of Challenges
Delivery drivers face a variety of challenges including being struck by objects while unloading a truck, a slip and fall injury on wet pavement, falling from heights, and being struck by other vehicles. Depending on the type of deliveries being done, drivers also face:
- Criminals trying to steal inventory or trucks
- Fake deliveries that lead to robberies
- Slip and fall accidents on slick walking surfaces
When it comes to slip and fall accidents, delivery drivers are constantly put in situations where they have to walk through areas and on surfaces they are unfamiliar with. When the weather gets bad, these unpredictable situations can only get worse.
Protecting Drivers
Crime is a big problem for delivery drivers, but there are steps drivers can take to prevent serious injuries due to criminal activity.
- Take self-defense courses
- Call customers prior to making a delivery to make sure they are at their location
- Be equipped with legal self-defense equipment
- Avoid properties that appear to be empty
- Always walk in well-lit and highly visible areas
Preventing Slip And Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents are one of the most significant challenges delivery drivers face. In recent years, delivery companies have stepped up and created training courses that help to prevent slip and fall accidents or diffuse the potential injuries to drivers. Those courses include:
- Teaching drivers how to walk properly on slippery floors and other surfaces (some companies actually bring in penguins to teach drivers the proper ways to walk on slick surfaces)
- Teaching drivers how to balance packages to make walking easier
- Teaching drivers how to fall without taking on any serious injuries
Drivers can help themselves to prevent slip and fall accidents by making sure their footwear always has the proper amount of grip to handle bad weather. Some drivers wear knee and elbow pads to help cushion the blow of a fall, and some even wear padded jackets to help offset the sensation of falling to the ground.
What Should An Injured Driver Do?
Every delivery company has procedures in place that a driver must follow if they fall and become injured. It is critically important that drivers know these procedures, and have all of the equipment they need in their vehicles to take the proper steps after an accident. Drivers should always have a phone on them to call for help, and some sort of legal self-defense device to be able to protect themselves.
If you have ever watched a delivery driver completely lock up their truck before they make every delivery, then you are seeing one of those safety policies in action. Unfortunately, not every member of the general public is willing to help an injured delivery driver with a truck full of inventory. By always locking their truck, the delivery driver can protect their inventory in the event that they are injured.
A slip and fall accident for a delivery driver can turn into a disastrous situation if the proper steps are not followed. A delivery driver faces a wide range of challenges with the job that they do, and those challenges can often lead to serious injuries. But with the proper training and the right field equipment, drivers can protect themselves and help to soften the blow of a potentially painful slip and fall injury.
