The effect of the descent technique and truck cabin layout on the landing impact forces

The majority of injuries to truckers are caused by falls during the descent from the cab of the truck. Several studies have shown that the techniques used to descend from the truck and the layout of the truck's cabin are the principal cause of injury. The goal of the present study was to measure the effects of the descent techniques used by the trucker and the layout of th e truck's cabin on the impact forces absorbed by the lower limbs and the ba ck. Kinematic data, obtained with the aid of a video camera, were combined with the force platform data to allow for calculation of the lower limb and L-5-S-1 torques as well as L-5-S-1 compressive forces. The trucker descend ed from two different conventional tractor cabin layouts. Each trucker desc ended from cabin using either "facing the truck" (FT) or "back to the truck " (BT) techniques. The results demonstrate that the BT technique produces g reater ground impact forces than the FT technique, particularly when the tr uck does not have a handrail. The BT technique also causes an increase in t he compressive forces exerted on the back. In conclusion, the use of the FT technique along with the aids (i.e., handrails and all the steps) help low er the landing impact forces as well as the lumbosacral compressive forces. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.