Climate conditions and work-related fatigue among professional drivers

Teresa Makowiec-Dąbrowska,Piotr Viebig,Piotr Kozak,Alicja Bortkiewicz,Agata Szyjkowska,Elżbieta Gadzicka,Jadwiga Siedlecka

doi:10.1007/s00484-018-1643-y

Abstract

The possible associations between climate parameters and drivers’ fatigue have not been subject to specific studies thus far. We have undertaken a study to investigate whether the particular climate parameters are related to fatigue perception by motor vehicle drivers. The study was performed from July to October. Each driver was surveyed four times: before and after workshift on a monotonous route outside the city center (MR), and on a heavy traffic route in the city center (HTR). The study was conducted among 45 city bus drivers aged 31–58 years (43.7 ± 7.9), seniority as driver 3–34 years (14.7 ± 8.6). Data on climate conditions (ambient temperature, air pressure, humidity, wind speed, precipitations) on particular study days was obtained from the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, National Research Institute Warsaw, Poland. Fatigue was assessed using the Fatigue Assessment Questionnaire, developed at Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine (Lodz, Poland). The total level of fatigue was significantly (p = 0.045) higher after driving on HTR than on MR. The number of symptoms was also significantly higher (p < 0.05) among drivers working on HTR. After MR, significant correlations were found between wind speed and heavy eyelid feeling, being prone to forgetting, eye strain, frequent blinking, and between ambient temperature and feeling thirsty. After HTR feeling thirsty, tiredness and difficulty in making decisions correlated with ambient temperature and feeling thirsty with wind speed. Climate conditions can modify the drivers fatigue; therefore, we should be aware of their impact on well-being.

Highlights

In view of the climate changes related to global warming, the problems of heat exposure and its health consequences for the working population have been gaining interest (Kjellstrom et al 2017; Błażejczyk et al 2014)
Analysis of the parameters that can modify the level of drivers’ fatigue revealed no significant differences at the start of work shift for the drivers working on the monotonous (MR) or heavy traffic (HTR) bus route
The number of symptoms was significantly higher, 6.87 ± 6.69, among drivers working on HTR

Summary

Introduction

In view of the climate changes related to global warming, the problems of heat exposure and its health consequences for the working population have been gaining interest (Kjellstrom et al 2017; Błażejczyk et al 2014). Increased ambient temperature affects the safety of work. The rate of risky behaviours at work was reported to increase when ambient air temperature was Drivers’ fatigue was reported to be an important risk factor in most traffic crashes. Statistics show that drivers’ fatigue accounts for about 10 to 15% of heavy road traffic accidents (RTA). The probability of participating in a traffic accident for a tired driver is eight times as high as for a well-rested driver. In this context, drivers’ fatigue and the resulting accidents have been subject to extensive research (Thiese et al 2015)

Methods

Results

Conclusion