Working Conditions Influencing Drivers’ Safety and Well-Being in the Transportation Industry: “On Board” Program (original) (raw)
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Developing effective professional bus driver health programs: An investigation of self-rated health
Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2011
The health of professional bus drivers is a critical factor in their driving performance; any impairment may lead to undesired consequences. In an attempt to develop and prioritize health and wellness programs, this study investigates the factors significantly affecting the health conditions of professional bus drivers, as well as the strength of these factors. This study uses self-rated health as the examination measurement. This simple assessment is an inclusive measure of health status for judging health trajectory, and is highly associated with changes in functional ability, including perceived control over driving. This study evaluates driver responses of self-rated health with ordered response models that consider factors such as the driver reported health problems, physical and psychological conditions, demographic factors, driving experience, and working environment. Analysis of a sample of 785 drivers shows that age, body mass index, depression, daily working hours, perceived company safety culture, and health problems are the factors significantly affecting self-rated health. Depression has the greatest effect among all factors except health problems. Unlike the linear relationships for the other factors, the relationships between depression levels and perceived health are S-shaped. The results of ordered response models suggest that these influential factors have distinct effects on the self-rated health of individual drivers and on the different levels of self-rated health.
American journal of industrial medicine, 2018
The aim of this study was to estimate accident risk rates and mental health of bus rapid transit (BRT) drivers based on psychosocial risk factors at work leading to increased stress and health problems. A cross-sectional research design utilized a self-report questionnaire completed by 524 BRT drivers. Some working conditions of BRT drivers (lack of social support from supervisors and perceived potential for risk) may partially explain Bogota's BRT drivers' involvement in road accidents. Drivers' mental health problems were associated with higher job strain, less support from co-workers, fewer rewards and greater signal conflict while driving. To prevent bus accidents, supervisory support may need to be increased. To prevent mental health problems, other interventions may be needed such as reducing demands, increasing job control, reducing amount of incoming information, simplifying current signals, making signals less contradictory, and revising rewards.
The human side of the road: Improving the working conditions of urban bus drivers
Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 1998
This study evaluated how urban bus drivers' well-being was affected by technical interventions designed to improve the traffic environment of an urban bus route. Three questionnaires were distributed; 8 drivers at the intervention route (mean age 43 years) and 13 demographically matched comparison drivers (mean age 39 years) participated at all occasions. Field studies at work were conducted twice, with 10 intervention route drivers (mean age 43 years) and 31 comparison drivers (mean age 42 years). The authors hypothesized that during the course of the intervention, the initially elevated indexes of occupational stress in the intervention group would be reduced to levels equivalent to those of the comparison group. The hypothesis was confirmed for perceived workload in the questionnaire, observer-rated job hassles, systolic blood pressure and heart rate at work, and perceived distress after work in the field study. A large number of studies from throughout the industrialized world have revealed that urban bus drivers evidence heightened morbidity and mortality from a number of diseases compared with similar occupational groups. Although the mechanisms that account for the health problems associated with urban city bus driving are not fully understood, the morbidity and mortality profiles of these drivers suggest an important etiologic role of occupational stress. Given that the health risks of urban city bus driving are well documented, the logical next steps include evaluation of salient work environment factors and of pilot interventions to reduce job stress and improve morbidity. The purpose of this article is to describe the effects of a pilot intervention on a major bus route in Stockholm, Sweden. This technically based intervention was designed to reduce delays from traffic congestion and improve passenger service.
IMPACT OF JOB CHARACTERISTICS ON THE DRIVER'S HEALTH AND SAFETY: INTEGRATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW (Atena Editora), 2023
Today in the world of work, health and safety has become a constant concern. The World Health Organization (2013) strongly recommends improving workers' health and reducing work-related injuries. In general, all countries have enacted policies consistent with global regulations to improve workers' safety and health. The objective of this integrative review was to analyze the influence of working conditions on the safety and health of vehicle drivers, using contemporary texts on the subject as a reference. The results suggest that the occupational health team needs to pay attention to the development and implementation of health promotion interventions to reduce drivers' fatigue while driving light vehicles and that incorporate physical, mental and occupational factors. It is essential that organizations establish internal regulations and public policies to promote the health and safety of driver workers. Therefore, most health professionals do not understand which measures are most useful for drivers, so we propose additional studies, as well as refuting the study in dispersed locations and in different countries.
Using action research to improve health and the work environment for 3500 municipal bus drivers
… Action Research, 2007
During the past five decades occupational researchers have documented that bus drivers' health is worse than in almost any other profession. The authors suggest that the reason there has not been any successful attempt to change this situation is because the focus until now on removing statistically associated external risk factors has been too narrow. The article describes a project whose purpose was to improve the health and well-being of 3500 Copenhagen bus drivers. At the end, more than 200 interventions were implemented. The authors adopted a new approach of combining epidemiological results and qualitative methodologies, creating a broader explanatory foundation for action, linked by repetitive processes of critical reflection, which was central to defining problems, explaining causes, developing sufficiently effective interventions and measuring effects. The project revealed the importance of several new and potentially preventable factors involving such issues as lifestyle, private stressors and inappropriate management. During the project period an evaluative framework was developed to explore and measure the complex effects of multiple interventions. Three years after the interventions were launched, follow-ups revealed remarkable improvements such as reductions in stress and body pains, an increase in satisfaction, and improvements in management and the drivers' cabin. This article is the story of a methodological journey, from classical epidemiology to an approach combining the strengths of survey (broad coverage), qualitative methods (in-depth focus) followed by critical reflections and ending with action research.
Stressful by design: Exploring health risks of ride-share work
Introduction: For-hire driving work, such as taxi driving, is characterized by long hours of sedentary behaviour, passenger assault, lack of benefits or support, and isolating working conditions that jeopardize good health. The for-hire driving industry has recently expanded to include a new group of ride-share drivers from digital platforms such as Uber and Lyft; this has substantially increased the number of people engaged in for-hire driving. However, there is very little existing research on ride-share drivers' health and safety in relation to their work, and no research on the Canadian context. Methods: This paper draws from a qualitative study consisting of in-depth interviews and focus groups with ride-share drivers and passengers, taxi drivers, taxi and ride-share managers, and other industry key informants in a large Canadian city. This paper focuses on ride-share drivers' health risks on the job. Results: This study finds that ride-share drivers face physical and mental health risks resulting from ride-sharing work that are distinct to ride-share work, as well as ones similar to taxi driving and other transportation work. We find that the nature of the work is stressful by design: rideshare drivers face regular stressors and pressures from passengers, such as to speed and drive young children without proper booster seats. They also describe weight gain and muscle pain. Conclusion: As greater numbers of passengers opt for ride-share transportation and more people take up ride-share work, understanding potential short-and long-term health implications is an important area of inquiry. Understanding the working conditions of ride-share drivers can support the development of appropriate policy and practice tools to improve ride-share drivers' health and safety.
Bus driver well-being review: 50 years of research
This review paper consolidates the key research on the occupational health of urban bus drivers since the 1950s. Several electronic databases were searched and 27 key studies were identified, which form the basis of this paper. Early findings that bus drivers are liable to suffer ill health as a result of the job remain true today. The research has, however, demonstrated a greater understanding that specific stressors result in certain physical (cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disorders, musculoskeletal problems, fatigue), psychological (depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder) and behavioural outcomes (substance abuse). Bus driver ill health will have consequences for organisational performance in terms of employee absence, labour turnover and accidents. Stressors for bus drivers include poor cabin ergonomics, rotating shift patterns and inflexible running times. Over the last few decades, the heightening of other work stressors such as traffic, and violence from passengers have compounded the situation for bus drivers. Greater attention to salient moderating and mediating variables in the stressor-strain relationship is featuring in more recent research. Despite such theoretical advances, the research needs to also concentrate on practical interventions that are systematically implemented and evaluated, to improve the well-being of bus drivers. By improving this Ôhuman sideÕ of the role, it is expected that the efficiency of this transport will be enhanced for bus drivers, operators and passengers alike.
Journal of Transport & Health, 2017
The purpose was to provide a comprehensive review of the literature related to the health and wellness of truck (long and short-haul) and bus drivers in Canada and the USA. Methods: The following databases were searched: Medline (Pubmed), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsycINFO and Scopus, as well as the grey literature using a combination of key words (e.g. truck or bus drivers, accidents, health, wellness, road safety). Only English articles published between 2000 and 2016 were included. The search yielded 33 peer reviewed articles and 9 reports relevant to the health and wellness of CMV drivers. Results: The findings show that long-haul truck drivers have multiple risk factors (i.e., smoking, obesity, hypertension, poor diet, lack of exercise, stress and sleep) that can lead to various medical conditions (i.e., cardiovascular disorders, diabetes) and adverse events (i.e., crashes). Several medical conditions including sleep apnea (and fatigue more generally), obesity and cardiovascular disorders are all associated with increased crash risk. There was little information on bus drivers or short-haul truck drivers, however, the available information would suggest they are also exposed to negative work and driver environments leading to the development of risk factors associated with medical conditions. Conclusions: Further research is needed to characterize the work environment and lifestyle practices (particularly sleep, smoking, diet and exercise) of truck and bus drivers to understand the interactions between various risk factors and health outcomes. Obtaining baseline information, including national prevalence rates of health issues, is vitally important for public health, regulatory organizations, and industry to coordinate prevention efforts.
PeerJ, 2018
Background Several empirical studies have shown that professional drivers are a vulnerable occupational group, usually exposed to environmental stressors and adverse work conditions. Furthermore, recent studies have associated work-related stress with negative job performances and adverse health outcomes within this occupational group, including cardiovascular diseases and unsafe vehicle operation. Objective The aim of this study was to describe the working conditions and the health status of this occupational group, and to evaluate the association between the Demand–Control model of job stress and their self-reported health and safety outcomes. Methods A pooled sample of 3,665 Colombian professional drivers was drawn from five different studies. The Job Content Questionnaire and the General Health Questionnaire were used to measure work stress and self-reported mental health, respectively. Additionally, professional drivers self-reported health problems (hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes and overweight) and health-related risky behaviors (smoking and sedentary behavior). Results Regarding the Job Demands–Control (JDC) model, it was found that approximately a third part of Colombian professional drivers suffer from high job strain (29.1%). Correlational and multivariate analyses suggest that de JDC model of stress is associated with the professional drivers’ mental health, traffic accidents and fines, but not with other physical and behavioral health-related outcomes, which are highly prevalent among this occupational group, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, overweight, smoking and sedentary behavior. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that (a) stressful working conditions are associated with health and lifestyle-related outcomes among professional drivers, and (b) that evidence-based interventions are needed in order to reduce hazardous working conditions, job stress rates and their negative impact on the health of this occupational group.