Toronto • May 28-29, 2010 • Student Day and Workshops: May 27
Program > Saturday > 14:00 > Session 16. Work hazards and exposure measurement (2/2)
Paper: Developing a survey to assess the health, safety and wellness of truck drivers
Author(s) and Affiliation(s):
Philip Bigelow, University of Waterloo and Institute for Work & Health
Diane Betts, Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning
Benjamin Amick, Institute for Work & Health
Karl Sieber, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Sheilah Hogg-Johnson, Institute for Work & Health
Paul Jakubicek, University of Waterloo
Greg Pitt, University of Waterloo
Day/Time: Saturday at 14:00
Room: St. Patrick Room, 3rd Floor
Objectives:
Truck drivers experience high rates of injury and illness, and their involvement in motor vehicle collisions can result in injuries to themselves and others sharing public highways. However, in Canada no systematic approach to obtaining information on risk factors in this population is available. The objective of this study is to gain input from drivers and other stakeholders regarding the content as well as the feasibility of a province-wide survey of truck drivers.
Methods:
In Phase 1, three truck drivers and nine occupational health and safety (OHS) professionals were interviewed to understand their perceptions of the scope, importance and risk factors related to motor vehicle injuries, non-motor vehicle injuries, occupational diseases, and employee wellness. In Phase 2, this information, along with a comprehensive literature review, informed the development of a draft questionnaire that was a focus of in-person interviews with drivers. The purpose of these interviews was to assess various mechanisms of administration, determine the time required for completion, and whether the questions were relevant to the industry in Ontario or if there were content areas that were missed.
Results:
In Phase 1, the responses indicated that both drivers and OHS professionals were aware of the major risks and risk factors for motor vehicle collisions (MVCs), non-MVC injuries, as well as the chronic health issues of drivers. Long hours of work along with associated stress and fatigue were viewed by a majority of respondents as a major problem for drivers and a barrier to adopting a healthy lifestyle. Risk factors associated with these long hours (poor quality sleep, fatigue, stress, inattention, mistakes) were discussed. Overall, these perceptions of the injuries and major risk factors are in concordance with the published literature expect that higher illegal and legal drug use was not reported by respondents. In Phase 2, the questionnaire was modified in response to concerns and opinions of respondents. The logistics of administration (self-administered and in-person interview) of the instrument were documented and benefits, issues, and challenges were noted.
Conclusions:
The overall consensus was that more information about truck driver safety, health, and wellness is needed. The OHS professionals were quite vocal in supporting further studies on drivers’ health issues, and drivers themselves were supportive but did mention that they may be reluctant to participate due to time pressures. The revised questionnaire was well received by truck drivers. The study documented facilitators and barriers of implementing a national survey of truck drivers. Further research will include an examination of the measurement characteristics of the instrument. A proposal is under development for a provincial or national survey.
