![[Valid Atom 1.0]](valid-atom.png "Validate my Atom 1.0 feed")
TRUCKERS' WELLNESS * USA: Health maintenance for commercial truck drivers is a hot topic in today’s transportation industry.
* Wiscosin - Wellness for Truck Drivers: What makes this problem so wicked?
-- I’d even go so far as to call it a wicked problem, meaning that you can’t just write a check to make it go away... Here are four reasons we can think of right off the top of our head:
° The road to driver wellness is really, really, really long — The health stats about drivers are downright scary. A study released last year by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health found that 88 percent of long-haul truck drivers had at least one risk factor (hypertension, smoking, and obesity) for chronic disease, compared to only 54 percent of the general U.S. adult working population... That same study claimed 27 percent of long-haul drivers sleep six or fewer hours per night and that 34 percent have nodded off while driving. These unhealthy behaviors create safety risks for drivers themselves and the people with whom they share the road...
° The work environment isn’t built for wellness — The cab of a tractor is, relatively speaking, a small space. It’s optimized for long periods of sitting. And there’s little argument that sitting and a sedentary lifestyle are a one-way ticket to lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity... When drivers do get out of their trucks, it’s often at truckstops or rest areas that lack healthy food options. It’s up to drivers to make their own “fitness centers” and exercise plans in locations without cardio equipment and weights. In short, it takes discipline and creativity to stay healthy on the road. Which, of course, means unhealthy decisions are easier to make...
° Drivers lack social support — Many fitness experts recommend buddying up to achieve health goals. If your pal holds you accountable for skipping a workout or binging in fast food, you’re more likely to avoid those unhealthy behaviors... The thing is, drivers are kept away from their family and friends who might otherwise help them stay on task when it comes to working out and eating right. As a driver, there’s not a guy or gal in the cube next door who you see day in and out (and who might help you stay accountable)...
° It’s tough to get wellness programs to catch on with a remote workforce — Similar to lack of social support from co-workers and family is the relative absence of supervisors and leaders — the top-down leadership that can make or break program success...
Trucking firms are having a hard enough time with recruiting and retention. A reputation for illness and poor health among the ranks won’t help attract the next generation of talent to the driver’s seat...
(Photo: If you're a long-haul driver, find what works for you for better health and productivity) - New Berlin, WIS, USA -Trucking News on Line, by Megan Young - February 17, 2015
Labels: truckers health
posted by Unknown @ 6:44 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home