W. Karl Sieber

Obesity and other risk factors: The National Survey of U.S. Long-Haul Truck Driver Health and Injury

BACKGROUND Drivers of heavy and tractor-trailer trucks accounted for 56% of all production and nonsupervisory employees in the truck transportation industry in 2011. There are limited data for illness and injury in long-haul truck drivers, which prompted a targeted national survey. METHODS Interviewers collected data during 2010 from 1,670 long-haul truck drivers at 32 truck stops across the 48 contiguous United States that were used to compute prevalence estimates for self-reported health conditions and risk factors. RESULTS Obesity (69% vs. 31%, P < 0.01) and current smoking (51% vs. 19%, P < 0.01) were twice as prevalent in long-haul truck drivers as in the 2010 U.S. adult working population. Sixty-one percent reported having two or more of the risk factors: hypertension, obesity, smoking, high cholesterol, no physical activity, 6 or fewer hours of sleep per 24-hr period. CONCLUSION Survey findings suggest a need for targeted interventions and continued surveillance for long-haul truck drivers.

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL EVALUATION EXPERIENCE. PART THREE : ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND SELF-REPORTED HEALTH CONDITIONS

Abstract Associations between environmental factors and work-related health conditions were assessed using regression techniques with environmental and health data for 2435 respondents in 80 office buildings included in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Health Hazard Evaluation program. The health conditions analyzed included two symptom groupings—multiple lower respiratory symptoms and multiple atopic symptoms—and the presence of asthma diagnosed after beginning work in the building. Four categories of environmental variables were included: heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system design; HVAC maintenance; building design; and building maintenance. Female gender and age over 40 years showed increased relative risks (RRs) for each health condition. In regression models adjusted for age and gender, RRs of multiple lower respiratory symptoms were increased for variables in the HVAC design and maintenance categories, with the highest RR for presence of debris inside th...

Metalworking Fluid Exposures in Small Machine Shops: An Overview

Sampling was conducted in 79 small machine shops to assess airborne exposures to metalworking fluids (MWFs). Measured exposures were compared with data from the literature and exposure criteria currently recommended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration MWF Standards Advisory Committee. Sixty-two percent of 942 personal samples collected were less than the recommended exposure limit (REL) of 0.50 mg/m3 for total particulate. However, at least 1 sample exceeded the REL in 61 of the 79 facilities studied; 100% of the samples collected in 10 shops were greater than the REL. Similar trends were found for thoracic particulate exposures where 75% of 238 samples were below the thoracic particulate REL of 0.40 mg/m3. The ratio between thoracic and total particulate for 238 paired samples was 0.55 (r2=0.73). Workers exposed to straight fluids had the highest exposures (GM=0.67 mg/m3) when compared with workers exposed to other classes of MWFs. The highest exposures were measured for grinding and hobbing (GM=0.67 and 0.60 mg/m3, respectively). Measurements using personal impactors indicated that particle size distributions of MWF aerosols had an average mass median aerodynamic diameter of 5.3 microm. Straight oils and soluble fluids tended to be associated with larger particles than were other fluid types; grinding and turning produced the largest particles, whereas hobbing resulted in the smallest. In general, exposures were similar in magnitude and particle size to those previously reported in large automotive plants. Therefore, workers in these small shops may have risks of adverse health effects similar to those demonstrated in the automotive industry.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health General Industry Occupational Exposure Databases: Their Structure, Capabilities, and Limitations

Abstract The passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 resulted in increased concern for the safety and health of workers in the United States. Early in 1971, a Hazard and Disease Task Force, formed by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, identified a need for more detailed information on the distribution of potential exposures of employees in industries regulated in the Occupational Safety and Health Act to chemical and physical hazards. To address this need, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conducted two major national surveys as part of its hazard surveillance program. The first, conducted in 1972–1974, was called the National Occupational Hazard Survey. The second, conducted in 1981–1983, was called the National Occupational Exposure Survey. Each survey employed a stratified probability sample, and collected observational data on potential direct workplace exposures and also exposure to tradenamed products. Completed nearly a decade apart, the data...

National Survey of US Long-Haul Truck Driver Health and Injury: health behaviors.

Objective:To compare selected health behaviors and body mass index (modifiable risk factors) of US long-haul truck drivers to the US working population by sex. Methods:The National Survey of US Long-Haul Truck Driver Health and Injury interviewed a nationally representative sample of long-haul truck drivers (n = 1265) at truck stops. Age-adjusted results were compared with national health surveys. Results:Compared with US workers, drivers had significantly higher body mass index, current cigarette use, and pack-years of smoking; lower prevalence of annual influenza vaccination; and generally lower alcohol consumption. Physical activity level was low for most drivers, and 25% had never had their cholesterol levels tested. Conclusions:Working conditions common to long-haul trucking may create significant barriers to certain healthy behaviors; thus, transportation and health professionals should address the unique work environment when developing interventions for long-haul drivers.

NIOSH national survey of long-haul truck drivers: Injury and safety.

Approximately 1,701,500 people were employed as heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in the United States in 2012. The majority of them were long-haul truck drivers (LHTDs). There are limited data on occupational injury and safety in LHTDs, which prompted a targeted national survey. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health conducted a nationally representative survey of 1265 LHTDs at 32 truck stops across the contiguous United States in 2010. Data were collected on truck crashes, near misses, moving violations, work-related injuries, work environment, safety climate, driver training, job satisfaction, and driving behaviors. Results suggested that an estimated 2.6% of LHTDs reported a truck crash in 2010, 35% reported at least one crash while working as an LHTD, 24% reported at least one near miss in the previous 7 days, 17% reported at least one moving violation ticket and 4.7% reported a non-crash injury involving days away from work in the previous 12 months. The majority (68%) of non-crash injuries among company drivers were not reported to employers. An estimate of 73% of LHTDs (16% often and 58% sometimes) perceived their delivery schedules unrealistically tight; 24% often continued driving despite fatigue, bad weather, or heavy traffic because they needed to deliver or pick up a load at a given time; 4.5% often drove 10miles per hours or more over the speed limit; 6.0% never wore a seatbelt; 36% were often frustrated by other drivers on the road; 35% often had to wait for access to a loading dock; 37% reported being noncompliant with hours-of-service rules (10% often and 27% sometimes); 38% of LHTDs perceived their entry-level training inadequate; and 15% did not feel that safety of workers was a high priority with their management. This survey brings to light a number of important safety issues for further research and interventions, e.g., high prevalence of truck crashes, injury underreporting, unrealistically tight delivery schedules, noncompliance with hours-of-service rules, and inadequate entry-level training.

An evaluation of short-term exposures to metalworking fluids in small machine shops

In a study of 23 small machining shops using metalworking fluids (MWFs), real-time air monitoring using an aerosol photometer was performed to investigate the temporal nature of the exposure and to examine the relationship between the instrumental measurements and traditional sampling methods. Time-weighted averages were calculated from the aerosol photometer data and the results were compared to collocated thoracic and 37-mm closed face cassette samplers. The filter samples were analyzed for total mass and the solvent extractable fraction. Depending on the averaging period used, short-term MWF concentrations exceeded 2.0 mg/m3 in 13 to 39% of the plants studied. High short-term exposures were as likely to be found in plants with average concentrations below 0.4 mg/m3 (thoracic-gravimetric) as those above. Regression analyses indicated that the aerosol photometer most closely matched the data obtained from the thoracic fraction of the total mass. In general, the aerosol photometer overestimated the levels determined using the thoracic cyclone and filter, especially when measuring concentrations of water-based fluids. Use of a calibration factor of 0.7 for straight oils or 0.5 for water-based fluids may assist in the interpretation of aerosol photometer measurements if field calibration data are not readily available. Several approaches to determining the calibration factor from field data were evaluated; more complex calibration techniques improved the accuracy of the measurements.

Hearing protector use in noise-exposed workers: a retrospective look at 1983.

Although hearing protectors have been available for more than 60 years, little field surveillance has been done to assess their appropriate wear in noisy occupational environments. This study examined historical field survey data to determine whether workers use hearing protection when exposed to loud noise. Data from the 1981-83 NIOSH National Occupational Exposure Survey were analyzed to determine whether workers in noise greater than or equal to 85 dBA were using hearing protection. The study also looked at the effect of company personal protective equipment (PPE) policies on hearing protector compliance. This study found that, in 1981-83, an estimated 4.1 million industrial workers were exposed to noise greater than or equal to 85 dBA. Of these, 41% were wearing some form of hearing protection. This percentage varied from 79% of workers exposed in SIC 76 (Miscellaneous Repair Service) to less than 1% in Communications (SIC 48), Wholesale Trade Nondurable Goods (SIC 51), and Automotive Dealers & Service Stations (SIC 55). Whether an establishment had a written policy on wearing PPE seemed to make no difference, because there appeared to be no tie between the percentage of workers wearing of hearing protection and presence of a PPE policy.

Trends in hearing protector usage in American manufacturing from 1972 to 1989

This study investigated the trends in hearing protector use in United States manufacturing industries. Using data from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-sponsored National Occupational Hazard Survey (1972), the National Occupational Exposure Survey (1983), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration-sponsored National Survey of Personal Protective Equipment Usage (1989), estimates were made of numbers of workers using hearing protection in various industries. Unique to this study is discussion of the impact of enactment of hearing conservation regulations during the same time frame as the two earlier surveys. In general, higher percentages of workers utilized hearing protection in 1989 than in 1972. Increased hearing protection use over time was also found when size of facility (number of employees) was taken into account. Differences in the use of hearing protection over the period 1972-1989 varied in individual industries, ranging from less than 10 to more than 30%.

A Pilot Study of Healthy Living Options at 16 Truck Stops Across the United States

Purpose: There is a growing body of evidence that the built environment influences diet and exercise and, as a consequence, community health status. Since long-haul truck drivers spend long periods of time at truck stops, it is important to know if this built environment includes resources that contribute to the emotional and physical well-being of drivers. Setting: The truck stop environment was defined as the truck stop itself, grocery stores, and medical clinics near the truck stop that could be accessed by a large truck or safely on foot. Design: Researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) developed and utilized a checklist to record the availability of resources for personal hygiene and comfort, communication and mental stimulation, health care, safety, physical activity, and nutrition at truck stops. Subjects: The NIOSH checklist was used to collect data at a convenience sample of 16 truck stops throughout the United States along both high-flow and low-flow truck traffic routes. Measures: The checklist was completed by observation within and around the truck stops. Results: No truck stops offered exercise facilities, 94% lacked access to health care, 81% lacked a walking path, 50% lacked fresh fruit, and 37% lacked fresh vegetables in their restaurant or convenience store. Conclusion: The NIOSH found that most truck stops did not provide an overall healthy living environment.