Working as a lorry driver is associated with a high prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints affecting the low back, shoulders, neck and knees. Well-known risk factors for back pain are prolonged sitting in the same posture and exposure to whole-body vibration during driving. Often a lorry driver has to load and unload the goods, which can be an additional cause of low-back pain and other complaints. In order to identify those loading and unloading activities which are associated with musculoskeletal complaints, lorry drivers are distinguished by the method of transporting the goods, namely on pallets, on wheeled cages, as packed goods and as bulk cargo. On the basis of this categorization work demands and workload are related to health complaints. (A)
Abstract