Roadside Inspections, Tornado Season, and Your Back
Your Back. I understand there are a few adults that have never had back trouble. I haven’t met any of these fortunate folks yet. Sprains and strains to the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and injury of the discs in the back are common injuries that are often avoidable. These injuries can cause severe pain that may result in inability to do any type of strenuous activity. To help avoid this pain and suffering, it is important to be aware of the causes of back injuries and your lifting limitations. Lifting something too heavy is not the only cause of a back injury. Poor posture and poor physical fitness can also put stress on your back and lead to an injury. Below are a few pointers on lifting techniques that can help you stay healthy
- Before lifting, size up the load; test the weight by moving a corner of the object.
- Get help if it is too heavy.
- Check out the route that you are going to travel with the load to make sure you have it clear of debris and that the walking surface is not slippery or any tripping hazards.
- Stand with your feet closed to the object and center yourself over the load.
- Bend your knees – often thought to be the most important step of lifting.
- Get a good grip on the object with both hands.
- Straighten your legs to lift straight up in a slow smooth motion.
- Keep your back straight.
- Hold the load close to your body. Holding something away from your body will have the affect of several times the actual weight of the object.
- Do not twist or turn while carrying the load. Sure it will take an extra step or two to make the turn but by taking the extra turn it will lessen the likelihood of the stress of sudden turns or twists.
- When setting the load down, bend at the knees again while keeping your back straight as you lower the object.
Roadside Inspections. Year to date, over 50% of our roadside inspections are what I call “clean sheet inspection” meaning that there were no violations of any kind. Only .8% of all of the inspections placed the vehicle Out of Service and only .2% placed the unit out of service due to HAZMAT defects. Nation wide 21% of the vehicles and 5.5% of the drivers are placed Out of Service and 4.5% of the inspections placed the vehicle and driver Out of Service because of HAZMAT defects. My point is that drivers and mechanics are doing a fine job of taking care of equipment and paperwork. I recently read an article that gave some tips on having a good start on a roadside inspection that is plausible. The article suggests the following:
- Go into the inspection with a good attitude. Your professional conduct can impress the inspector. Respectfully and honestly answer the inspector’s questions that deal with basic information.
- Present your paperwork in a complete and up to date appearance. This includes your:
- License
- Medical Card
- Log book
- Bills of Lading
- Emergency Response Guidebook
- Keep your vehicle neat, clean, inside and out. A clean and tidy vehicle draws less attention from the inspector.
Prom & Graduation Season. In the next few weeks teenagers will be donning their formal wear and going to their high school proms and in a few more weeks will be high school graduations. Quite often these events end in a tragic car wreck due to kids showing off, drinking, or just being distracted. Be a little more vigilant during this season.
Tornado Season. The spring and summer months are traditionally considered tornado season. This past week tornados devastated the country again. The good news is that deaths from these storms have decreased in the last 50 years in spite of the storms striking more densely populated areas. Tornados can spawn with little or no warning. Weather forecasters are very good at warning the public of severe weather conditions. It is up to you to heed their warnings.