Health and Safety for HGV Drivers

NEXUS Vehicle Rental HEALTH AND SAFETY FOR HGV DRIVERS Workplace conditions that stem from rising air and noise pollution, as well as the pressure of meeting schedules at a time of mounting traffic levels, are all factors that can affect HGV drivers. These factors can cause illness and extreme tiredness, as well as contributing to psychological after effects. Pollutants Professional drivers are exposed to increasing levels of atmospheric pollutants. Despite EU regulations limiting emissions and vehicles becoming generally greener, an increase in road users means slower traffic speeds and therefore more pollution. There's only so much that an air filter can remove from a cab's atmosphere and they are generally only effective for long-distances. HGV drivers can spend a lot of time at transport depots loading and unloading while other lorries have their engines running. Carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide as well as carcinogenic diesel particulates, can all take a toll on a drivers health. This contributes to health issues such as asthma, headaches, coughs, bronchitis, and eye irritations. Noise Noise and vibration are often experienced simultaneously and both factors can have an adverse affect on HGV drivers. High noise levels over sustained periods can impair hearing or even result in total hearing loss. It is also associated with a number of psychological problems, contributing to or exacerbating the stress caused by traffic and time pressures. Fatigue and Mental Well-being Fatigue lowers a drivers' reaction time. Under pressure to stay on schedule, many drivers may miss meal breaks and rest stops to make up time. This can cause a great deal of health complaints. Furthermore, shift work, anti-social hours and the difficulties of working away from home may be linked to depression, low mood and other mental health issues. Dehydration HGV drivers are especially susceptible to dehydration. Many don't drink enough water because they don't want to stop for toilet breaks and in-cab air conditioning sucks moisture from the body and atmosphere. Research has shown that being even mildly dehydrated leads to the same errors in judgement and performance as being over the legal drink limit (Loughborough University driver dehydration study, April 2015). Injury Unsurprisingly, due to prolonged periods in their vehicles, professional drivers have a heightened risk of being injured behind the wheel. Also their chance of causing injury to pedestrians, cyclists and other motorists is increased. When there are time pressures, there's the tendency to make choices that aren't necessarily the safest ones. Benefits for all Not only are there compelling ethical reasons for ensuring that you're doing all you can to help drivers counter these risks, there are sound commercial imperatives too. With the shortage of experienced drivers deepening, avoidable absences can have an extremely costly impact on firms. Missed deliveries, sickness payments and the expense of drafting in agency cover all hit the bottom line and can damage customer relationships and company reputations. It is therefore a very sound decision to invest in colleague wellness programmes, healthy lifestyle training and ongoing internal communications that advise of these potential risks. For more information, find our Glovebox Guide on HGV Operations at: www.nexusrental.co.uk/glove-box-guides Nexus Vehicle Rental provides access to over 50,000 HGVS for hire from nearly 300 UK locations. For unusual loads or just extra capacity, our range of truck hires offers a comprehensive choice of fully maintained carrier solutions. Get in touch with Nexus today: www.nexusrental.co.uk in