Driver's Occupational Health and Harmful Factors and Prevention and Control Measures

As China’s economy continues to develop, the demand for various types of vehicles in society is also growing. In the past five years, the average annual increment of motor vehicles has exceeded 15 million , and the average annual increase of drivers is more than 20 million. However, professional drivers in areas such as buses, taxis, passenger and cargo transportation, and special-purpose vehicles are people exposed to occupational harmful factors, and occupational diseases and occupational diseases are more common. The driver's occupational health needs to attract people's attention.

Possible exposure to harmful factors

The harmful factors exposed by the driver can be classified into three categories according to common conditions and sources: First, harmful factors generated by the motor vehicle itself, including vibration, noise, gasoline, exhaust gas, high temperature, etc .; second, motor vehicle driving is a special problem. Occupational harmful factors, such as mental stress, irregular life, special operation posture, etc .; Third, harmful factors exist in certain special environments that may be exposed when driving a motor vehicle, such as dust in the production environment of the mine.

Vibration is a prominent hazard to motor vehicle driving operations. The vibration of a motor vehicle can be transmitted to the whole body through the supportive part of the body, causing a vibration-response reaction of the driver, the occurrence of partial body vibration and whole-body vibration. If the arm can guide the vibration of the steering wheel, vertical vibrations of large amplitude at low and medium frequencies (2 to 20 Hz) can act on the driver's hips and waist, and cause the driver to have full body vibration.

Noise is another prominent hazard factor in motor vehicle driving operations. Vehicle engine running, car whistle, object loading, road conditions, and surrounding environmental factors can produce different levels of noise. A noise measurement for the cab showed that the cab average noise is below the specified standard of 85 dB(A) , but the vehicle whistle can reach as high as 98.1 dB(A) , which greatly exceeds the national standard.

The driver can be exposed to a variety of chemicals, mainly gasoline and harmful components in the exhaust gas, about 30 kinds, its contact with driving habits, road environment and vehicle equipment.

Dust and biological factors are also harmful factors that driving operations can come into contact with. It has been reported that the total dust concentration of urban buses 1.4 ~ 10mg / m ³; fly ash concentration of 0.05 ~ 0.33mg / m ³; vehicle interior free silica dust 35.68% 60.84%; total bacterial 11677 ~ 92698 / m ³. Pilots have long been engaged in the transportation of coal, cement, and stones, and may also cause pneumoconiosis.

In addition, during the driving process of motor vehicles, the driver is often in a highly stressed state, coupled with the role of a variety of occupational disease hazard factors in the cab, which can easily cause autonomic dysfunction, resulting in peripheral and cardio-cerebral vasoconstriction, changes in ECG conduction, and mentality. Ischemic changes, these changes can reduce the driver's ability to think, judgment, and obstacles to driving safety.

Occupational hazards and effects

Occupational diseases that the driver may suffer include: vibration, hearing impairment, gasoline and exhaust gas poisoning.

Vibration can cause the driver to suffer from vibration. When the driver is driving for a long time, the peripheral blood vessels and muscles of his hands may develop paralysis, such as numbness, hand pain, swelling of his hands, and cold hands. When severe, the bones of the wrist and the fingers may also cause bone defects. Hyperplasia, joint deformation, causing arm vibration disease. The low- and medium-frequency large-amplitude vibrations act on the driver's buttocks and waist, which can lead to lumbar periosteal hyperplasia, thickening, narrowing of intervertebral space, disappearance of the normal physiological curvature of the spine, and sagging of the kidney ; whole-body vibration can cause peripheral nerves and vestibules Changes in visceral and vascular functions caused the driver to have pale, cold sweats, nausea, dizziness, loss of appetite, leg and leg pain, and sensory abnormalities.

Long-term exposure to noise can lead to hearing impairment or even noise. Earlier hearing impairments can recover from noise exposure, but repeated exposure to strong noise can cause incomplete hearing loss. The survey results show that mild and moderate high frequency and vocal auditory threshold impairments can occur in the driver, with high frequency hearing threshold impairments predominant, and aggravating as the length of service is extended. The probability of driver hearing impairment is 6.41% to 53.08% .

Gasoline and motor vehicle exhaust can poison drivers. Gasoline is volatile and can be absorbed by the body through the respiratory tract. Gasoline poisoning, mild manifestations of dizziness, limb weakness, forgetfulness, upset, insomnia, nausea, loss of appetite, unresponsiveness, mood swings and other symptoms, severe cases can suddenly fainted, loss of consciousness, limb twitching. The main components of motor vehicle exhaust, such as nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide, can also cause poisoning. Prolonged exposure to low concentrations of nitrogen oxides can cause bronchitis and emphysema, and nitrogen dioxide can increase respiratory infection rates. Mild carbon monoxide poisoning can not only cause severe headache, dizziness, heartbeat, vertigo, limb weakness, etc., but also can affect the driver's attention.

In addition, the driver under the comprehensive effect of vibration, noise and other harmful factors, but also vulnerable to occupational diseases, such as stomach pain, hypertension, coronary heart disease, low back pain, frozen shoulder, acne, varicose veins, visual fatigue syndrome.

Precaution

Vibration disease prevention. In order to reduce the vibration when the vehicle is running, the driver's seat should be made of springs and sponge cushions. Use flexible cushions and backrests to wear soft gloves when driving, reducing direct contact with the clutch and steering wheel. Try to choose to drive on a flat road. When the road surface is bumpy, it should slow down ; loading cargo should be evenly stressed, reduce no-load, avoid resonance ; according to the road conditions, select tire patterns and models, left and right tires should be balanced symmetrically. In order to reduce vibrations, old vehicles should be prevented from “advance service”, old and worn parts should be promptly replaced, and regular maintenance and maintenance of automobiles should be strengthened. Keep the correct driving posture and ensure that the lumbar vertebrae are moderately stressed. Place the buttocks in the angle between the seat cushion and the backrest so that it is not advisable to move forward during operation. When you continue driving, try to take intermittent rest. A driving time shouldn't be too long. Generally , it can be stopped and rested every 2 hours . This can help muscles to eliminate fatigue and play a role in recovery and reduce the harm caused by vibration.

To reduce noise intensity, bass speakers should be used. In general, car tweeter noise is more harmful to drivers' hearing, so cars should use bass speakers. If you do not interfere with driving safety, you can close the window and play soothing music on the car.

Gasoline and exhaust gas poisoning prevention. In contact with gasoline, wear work clothes, rubber gloves and masks, try to avoid direct contact with the body's skin and gasoline, and stand on the air outlet ; do not use the mouth to directly suck oil ; work, smoking, catering, after the end of the work Wash your hands with hot water and soap. To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, the driver should not completely shut the windows of the engine at any time ; maintain good vehicle conditions to prevent the engine exhaust gas from escaping into the cab or inside the compartment ; if the engine requires a long time to stop, the engine should be turned off. ; never lie engine of the car to sleep, especially not to sleep in the car's air-conditioned; do not start the engine in the garage.

Prevention of cervical spondylosis. The driver's seat of the car should be adjusted so that the steering wheel and pedals are easily accessible ; when driving, sit upright, butt the hips as close as possible to the back of the chair; the upper body is straight and the knees slightly bent, but the steering wheel must not be obstructed ; if necessary, the rearview mirror angle can be adjusted. The arm should be slightly bent when operating the steering wheel. To avoid sudden and forced, excessive twisting head and neck, as far as possible by reversing the car observation mirror case; if turned really necessary, should be adjusted posture, so that the neck will not be excessively twisted, turned consecutive time not too long; usually should avoid braking and sudden acceleration drive, the head and neck and torso to prevent inconsistent moving velocity generated neck muscle spasm.

Visual fatigue syndrome. In order to prevent visual fatigue syndrome, good quality windshields should be used. Because poor quality windshield can cause visual fatigue syndrome. Drivers try to look far away or green plants after parking to relieve eye fatigue, or do eye exercises ; drivers often drink tea can accelerate the synthesis of rhodopsin, effectively protect eyesight, can play a positive role in the protection of traffic safety.

Finally, drivers should pay attention to strengthening nutrition, enhancing physical fitness, eating regularly, and ingesting foods rich in vitamins such as fresh fruits and vegetables. After a meal, you should take a rest for 30 minutes before driving, which will help you absorb and digest. Appropriate to increase the amount of exercise, should maintain physical exercise during the driving interval. Keeping enough sleep can lead to neurasthenia if the long-term sleep is insufficient. The driver should have an occupational health examination every year.

The information in this article comes from the Internet and was reorganized and edited by China Rescue Equipment Network.