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Injuries resulting from exiting trucks represent a substantial cost to businesses who operate these equipment.Many vehicles have aids to assist the driver in safely entering/exiting the vehicle. Nevertheless, many drivers do not use these aids. The purpose of this study was to quantify impact forces experienced during various truck exit methods. The study investigated impact forces of ten male subjects while exiting two tractors and a step-van. The results showed that jumping from cab-level resulted in impact forces as high as 12 times subject body weight; whereas, fully utilizing the steps and grab-rails kept the impact forces under two times body weight. Using the grab-rail during exiting the step-van resulted in over 40% reduction in impact force. An approach that emphasizes optimal design of entry/exit aids, coupled with driver training of proper use of these aids and education on the potential risks is expected to minimize vehiclerelated musculoskeletal injuries.

This paper investigates the significance of occupational injuries related to slips and falls on the same level and from elevation based on claims data collected over a six-year period by a major U.S. workers' compensation insurer. The relative percent of claims and claim costs associated with slips and falls varies by industry sector. Construction industry proportions of claims and claim costs associated with falls from elevation ranked first compared with all other industries examined. The claim and claim costs proportions associated with falls on the same level were highest in the retail industry. Despite the significance of the problem, there has been no significant change in the proportion of fall related claims (either on the same level or from elevation) compared to all reported claims by industry type from 1993 to 1998. Results suggest the need for increased research activity to explore the causes and identify interventions which can reduce the sizable losses in industry.

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