As a mechanic, your job isn’t always easy. Whether it’s a complex repair, a 10-hour day or a challenging set of training modules, being a great diesel technician comes with challenges.
As you know, it’s also a really rewarding career. If you love turning wrenches and recognize the value of your work, you can put up with a few challenges. No job is without its downsides, after all.
One of the biggest challenges you’ll have to deal with in your mechanic career — perhaps you’ve encountered this already — is wear and tear on your body.
While this is unavoidable in some ways, being a mechanic doesn’t have to ruin your physical health. You should be able to work in this field for as long as you want without worrying about damaging your body. So what can you do?
Here at RDO Equipment Co., we employ more than 1,000 full-time heavy equipment technicians throughout the U.S.
Our organization is dedicated to helping these team members build their careers while supporting their well-being.
This article will outline 11 things you can do to develop good habits to help you stay healthy throughout your diesel mechanic career.
Diesel Mechanic Body-Care Tips
- Focus on your diet and hydration
- Use proper personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Pay attention to your posture
- Wear comfortable boots
- Be careful when lifting and carrying
- Take regular breaks
- Develop a stretching routine
- Always use the 3-point rule
- Exercise outside of work
- Prioritize recovery
- Understand your limits
1) Focus on Your Diet and Hydration
Some people would argue the most important part of maintaining physical health is what you put into your body every day. It makes sense; food is fuel, and you need fuel to move through life.
When you’re at work, you’re expending a lot of calories. That’s a lot of fuel.
A balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins is a good way to give your body the nutrients it needs to succeed every day and refill your tank.
Another aspect of this is eating at regular intervals. Do your best to eat breakfast before work, lunch during work and dinner (not too close to bedtime) after work. This can get your body on a good schedule, helping your health.
Hydration is equally important for diesel mechanics. Consistently drinking water can help with headaches, body aches, digestion, weight management and every bodily system.
When you’re head-down working on a machine, it’s easy to forget to drink water. Try to get into a habit of drinking water regularly — even if you don’t necessarily feel thirsty.
Drinking water is especially important when working in the heat or cold. Try to stay hydrated in these environments.
2) Use Proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
PPE is crucial for your safety as a technician. Often, companies either supply or partially pay for things like safety glasses, gloves, steel-toed boots, face shields and hearing protection. Always wear the PPE required for your job. This will absolutely help you take care of your body, protecting your fingers, toes, eyesight and hearing.
Beyond these, there are pieces of protective equipment you can use to help when you’re experiencing specific body issues.
This includes back supports, braces and belts for lifting and knee pads when kneeling. If you need this extra equipment, bring it up with your employer. They might have something on hand for you to use or be willing to help you get it.
3) Pay Attention to Your Posture
Regarding preventing long-term side effects of working, posture and ergonomics (the efficiency and safety of doing something) are often overlooked. As a diesel mechanic, you spend a lot of time standing, bending and crouching.
Focus on your posture in all of these activities and if something starts to hurt, stop. While you might not get injured the first time you bend your back when standing, over time, this could lead to upper back issues and make it harder to stand for long periods.
If you want to extend your time as a mechanic, practicing proper posture can help you maintain your health and reach your goals.
4) Wear Comfortable Boots
A good pair of boots can go a long way toward your daily comfort on the job. In fact, this kind of ties into the previous point — good boots can help you with your posture and workplace ergonomics.
Of your eight hours a day, how many would you estimate you spend on your feet?
At least half?
More than six?
It’s common for mechanics to spend most of the day on their feet. That’s why having a comfortable pair of work boots is so important. Not only does finding a good pair help you each day, but it can also pay dividends when taking care of your body in the long term.
Many companies (RDO included) offer their mechanics a regular boot allowance.
Take advantage of this benefit to hunt down some boots you like and get a new pair when needed.
5) Be Careful When Lifting and Carrying
Lifting and carrying are the most common ways back injuries occur in the workplace.
Back injuries are also a prime reason diesel mechanics may leave this line of work. Needless to say, you want to avoid injuring your back at work.
To do so, be careful when it comes to lifting and carrying things at work.
Here are some ways to do this:
- Eliminate lifting by hand whenever possible, using tools like forklifts, dollies, carts and other equipment as frequently as you can.
- Break up larger lifts. Instead of trying to lift something that’s heavy (and potentially too heavy for you), try to separate the load into multiple smaller lifts.
- Work with your company to install storage, conveyor and overhead cranes to help with lifts.
- Work with others to lift heavy objects together, lightening the load for both of you.
- Use proper ergonomics. When you have to lift something, be sure to lift with your legs and not your back.
Back injuries from lifting can happen quickly. Developing good habits now will help you avoid the one-off chance that something will happen.
6) Take Breaks
Take short breaks throughout your day as a mechanic, whether you’re working on heavy equipment, semi trucks or another type of machinery.
Your health is more important than finishing a job as fast as you can.
Breaking occasionally to catch your breath, stretch and go for a walk (around the shop, yard or building) will help get your blood flowing.
Taking a short break every couple of hours can also be good for your mental health.
7) Get into a Stretching Routine
Flexibility is a core piece of physical health. You’re constantly moving around and contracting your body’s muscular system in your job. Counteracting these contractions will help you feel better in your body and prevent injury.
Finding five minutes in the morning and afternoon to stretch at work can benefit your health as a mechanic. Here are some examples of stretches you can do. Get started by trying a couple of them per day to find your favorites:
- Toe touch
- Behind the back stretch
- Standing T stretch
- Shoulder stretch
- Side bend stretch
- Wrist stretch
- Chest stretch
- Claw (finger) stretch
- Quad stretch
- Hip flexor stretch
- Calf stretch
- Iliotibial band stretch
Whether you find a wall and do this yourself or as a group, get into a stretching routine.
8) Always Use the 3-Point Rule
As a diesel mechanic, you climb every day. Whether it’s up a ladder or onto a piece of machinery, limiting your potential for slips and falls is crucial. Through the simple three-point rule, you can avoid slips and falls.
You’re probably familiar with this widespread safety practice, but here it is: When climbing, always maintain a minimum of two feet and one hand or two hands and one foot in contact with the thing you’re climbing.
Taking this rule seriously will help prevent injury and take care of your body as a diesel mechanic. Jumping down from machines instead of climbing is also not recommended – this is hard on your joints and can lead to injuries like twisted ankles. Instead, always use the three-point method when climbing up and down.
9) Exercise Outside of Work
This can be a hard one. Sometimes, the last thing you want to do after working all day is exercise. Add in all your other commitments, and getting yourself to the gym or out for a walk/run gets even harder. Not only does this peel away some of your time outside of work, but it also takes effort — you probably feel tired after work.
However, if you want to live a healthy life and take care of your body as a mechanic, exercising outside of work is a must.
This doesn’t have to mean lifting heavy weights or running five miles. Instead, simply going for a walk, doing bodyweight exercises, or lifting light weights can go a long way. The most important thing about exercising is that you do something regularly.
If this isn’t part of your routine, start small. Aim for 30-45 minutes of exercise three to four times weekly. Eventually, getting into this routine will help you feel healthier and more energetic in other parts of your life.
10) Prioritize Recovery
You work hard. There’s no way around it. It’s difficult to work 40+ hours per week working with your hands. No matter how much effort you put into the previous steps on this list — eating well, exercising, using PPE, taking breaks and working on your posture — you still need to give yourself time to rest.
This means getting a good night of sleep regularly (7-8+ hours) and relaxing. Your body needs time to recover after a hard day or week of work. Spend time doing things you enjoy and try to get off your feet for a while each night.
11) Understand Your Limits
The final point on this list is an important one. Often, staying safe at work and taking care of your body as a diesel mechanic comes down to understanding your limits — and sticking to them. Don’t overdo it, as they say. For instance, if you feel uncomfortable about something you need to move, ask for help lifting it.
Asking for help is always a good idea, especially regarding your safety and long-term health, but that begins with understanding your limitations.
Take Care of Yourself and Others in the Service Shop
There’s a lot on your plate as a technician. You deal with unique issues every day. Your work is also very important — it drives your company and the industries around our nation forward. Unfortunately, no matter how you slice it, your work is also hard on your body. Over time, it’s not uncommon for diesel mechanics to leave this field because of this challenge.
You don’t have to wear out your body or leave work each day in pain. Instead, consider the 11 tactics in this article as a good starting point. Maybe add them to your routine a little to help you feel better over time.
Take the next step in your journey toward a healthy and safe diesel mechanic career by reading Diesel Mechanic Safety (6 Important Safety Practices). That article lists some additional tips for raising the overall safety of your service environment.
Join RDO Equipment Co. as a Service Technician
Ready to build a career you’re proud of? Take the next step in your service technician career by joining RDO Equipment Co. in one of our 80+ locations in 12 states. Find an opening in your area here.
Learn more about our service technician career opportunities, including our benefits, career path levels and profit-sharing program.
Tyler Olsgaard
Tyler has worked in the RDO safety department since 2018, when he joined the team as a safety specialist in our Field Support Office. In his role, Tyler works to reduce and eliminate the risks RDO Equipment Co. team members face in their roles. Tyler’s work is crucial to our safety culture. His passion for helping others and coming up with unique solutions have made him successful here. Although he enjoys a lot about working at RDO, Tyler really values the interactions he has with dealership team members and takes pride in helping them solve the hazards they face.
