Exploration of Ergonomic Injuries and Risky Activities among Transportation Maintenance Workers

The number of occupational deaths of the transportation industry is one of the highest at Indiana, compared with other industries. Most occupational deaths and safety issues are caused by ergonomic hazards because some types of transportation maintenance activities exceed workers' capabilities and limitations. Safety prevention technologies are often neglected or poorly implemented in the current transportation industry. Therefore, this study assessed the prevalence of injuries and activities causing these ergonomic injuries by conducting a survey with maintenance workers working for Indiana Department of Transportation. Then the demographic analysis and analysis of means were used to evaluate injury types and activities causing these ergonomic injuries. The key finding is that back and shoulder injuries are the most common ergonomic injuries caused by lifting bags of materials, lifting frames, pulling deer, and shoveling gravels. The finding can shed lights on what future prevention technologies should focus.