Truck driver health concerns
THE DATA FROM A LOCAL SAMPLE OF 120 truck drivers reveals concerns, in particular in regard to sleep, lifestyle choices and an ageing workforce.
In response, Otago University Medical School researchers hope to launch a national survey of truck driver health and lifestyle issues in 2023.
The study will be based on the initial findings of a small-scale sample survey of Otago truck drivers, Life Behind the Wheel. Dr Rebbecca Lilley from the Otago University Injury Prevention Research Unit presented the results at the Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand Road Ahead national conference in September.
The initial survey was developed to test the methods and suitability of questions for surveying Kiwi truck drivers. A wider national study of over 1000 professional drivers would highlight any regional differences and any concerns that are more or less prevalent among Māori drivers who represent about 23% of the driver workforce.
Fatal injury study findings indicate improvements in driver health are needed, while at the same time minimal information on truck driver health has been collected in New Zealand.
“Truck drivers are an important and essential workforce, something that is now understood even more widely following COVID,” says Dr Lilley.
“It’s also an under-researched workforce compared to groups like farmers and forestry workers. Or airline pilots and many others who are in charge of operating machinery.”
Dr Lilley says stage one of the Life Behind the Wheel survey delivered data that highlights the need for a larger and more regionally representative sample.
“This work is a follow-on from a series of other studies we’ve completed into workrelated fatalities and how to reduce them. This group (truck drivers) has concerned us in terms of health concerns being a factor in fatal accidents,” she says.
“Of course, driver health concerns also contribute to non-fatal accidents and there’s also the extra level of concern because of the risk to the general driving public.
“There are some consistent concerns we are seeing from both the small sample and from overseas research which suggest more extensive research is needed,” says Dr Lilley.
Dr Lilley says working conditions can dictate many of the lifestyle choices available to truck drivers.
“Essentially due to the nature of the job there are fewer options available to truck drivers, such as for healthy food choices, opportunities to exercise or comfortable sleep environments.
“There is now plenty of research coming out of Australia where there has been an increased focus on the health and working conditions of truck drivers.”
Dr Lilley says the initial small-scale survey is not representative of truck drivers as a whole, but it does identify some concerning trends in the current state of truck driver Health & Safety that should be acted upon and managed by employees and employers under the Health & Safety at Work Act and by Government regulators of transport safety.
Data from the stage one survey suggests many of the pre-existing conditions and poor lifestyle factors for heart disease are very common in truck drivers. On average drivers are more obese or over-weight than the rest of the New Zealand adult population.
“Sleep problems are also common and are troubling drivers while they work. Much of this sleep disruption is due to work, suggesting work schedules need deeper investigation,” says Dr Lilley.
“One in four drivers self-reported that their current health status was very poor. The most common health complaint was pain caused by work, most commonly attributed to back pain, followed pain experienced in the knees and shoulders while driving.”
Other commonly reported diagnosed health conditions included high cholesterol and high blood pressure – common preconditions for Cardiovascular or Heart Disease which can manifest itself through sudden heart attack or stroke. Asthma also affected one in four respondents.
Dr Lilley says the 2018 New Zealand Census shows that there are over 37,000 professional drivers in New Zealand and that this group is predominantly male, and mainly European followed by Māori. This group is also ageing with over 60% of professional truck drivers aged over 45 years and 20% being over 60.
A long-term average from 2005-2014 identifies 346 road deaths annually including 10 professional driver deaths on average each year.
“What has us most concerned about these deaths is the major role that driver fatigue and driver health is playing in triggering, or contributing, to these truck crashes – particularly the single vehicle crash events,” says Dr Lilley.
“Our study identified that in one in three fatal crashes resulting in the death of a professional driver, the driver was impaired – be that due to fatigue, to pre-existing health conditions and in a very, very small number of cases due to legal or illegal substance use.”
She says the most common health conditions highlighted in Coronial investigations included heart attacks and other cardiac events and loss of consciousness events such as blackouts due to diabetic, epileptic, or other unexplained causes.
“To underpin our increasing concern regarding the health status of our truckdriving workforce and the increased risk of fatal injury in drivers with health conditions, the truck driving workforce is rapidly aging therefore we can expect this workforce to have increasing health concerns that may affect their safety – but also public safety and vital supply chains.”
A larger sample and a refined survey format would deliver the information needed to improve the health of truck drivers and help to develop the interventions for achieving a reduction in fatal and non-fatal accidents in which driver health issues are a contributing factor, she says.