Canadian Occupational Safety

20 Canadian Occupational Safety www.cos-mag.com Long-haul truck drivers are facing a slew of serious health prob- lems, according to a recently published survey out of the United States. Sixty- one per cent of the 1,670 truck drivers surveyed have two or more of the following conditions: hypertension, obesity, smoking, high cholesterol, no physical activity and six or fewer hours of sleep per 24-hour period. The fi ndings are comparable to what we would fi nd in Canada as well, says Barry Kurtzer, medical direc- tor and chief medical review offi cer at DriverCheck in Ayr, Ont. "Driving so many hours per day means there is less opportunity for structured physical fi tness programs — they don't get to the gym. And of course the shift work they do and the prolonged hours… In that context, sleep gets disrupted, eating styles are wrong, exercise styles are wrong and suddenly you basically have a recipe for ill health," he says. More than two-thirds (69 per cent) of truck drivers surveyed are obese, as defi ned by a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher and 17 per cent are morbidly obese (BMI of 40 or higher), found Obesity and Other Risk Factors: The National Survey of U.S. Long-Haul Truck Driver Health and Injury. In comparison, one-third of U.S. work- ing adults are obese and seven per cent are morbidly obese. Improper eating, not enough exercise, poor sleep and a sedentary lifestyle contribute to obesity — all factors common in the daily life of a long-haul truck driver. Obesity has been associated with numerous health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and sleep apnea. The prevalence of diabetes among truck drivers is twice that of the general population (14 per cent versus seven per cent), found the study. According to the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, there is clear evidence to show drivers with diabetes are at an increased risk of motor vehicle crashes. Study results "consistently indicate" that individu- als taking insulin have an elevated risk of crashes, the council says. Anyone who requires treatment with insulin is at risk of hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). Severe hypoglycemia can sig- nifi cantly impair the sensory, motor and cognitive functions required for driving. As a result, a driver may not be deemed medically qualifi ed to drive. At Liberty Linehaul in Ayr, Ont., president and CEO Brian Taylor tries to be proactive about preventing dia- betes among his workforce. "Our thought is to talk to guys before that becomes an issue for them to say 'Listen, why do you want to wait until you're scared into this? At the end of day, there are enough statistics here that this is a real possibility for you to have an issue with diabetes if you don't take care of your health.' So we try to get them involved in different programs," says Taylor. Liberty's employee assistance pro- gram (EAP) includes online resources for preventing and managing diabetes. LACK OF EXERCISE Physical inactivity is strongly associ- ated with the development of Type 2 diabetes and obesity. More than one-quarter (27 per cent) of drivers surveyed reported no moderate or vig- orous physical activity for 30 minutes in duration over the past seven days. Taylor encourages his workers to fi nd ways to be active throughout the day. "Sometimes guys have this thought that they're driving and they don't have a lot of options but just park- ing further away from a truck stop, so walking a quarter mile in and a quar- ter mile back, you can build exercise into your daily routine without going to the gym," he says. Liberty has also just recently joined a three-month walking challenge — the Healthy Fleet Challenge — where employees compete against other trucking companies all across North America to see who can log the most steps per day. While they might not be getting as much exercise as they should, there is a trend among drivers to try and move around whenever they can, says Linda Corkum, executive director of the Nova Scotia Trucking Safety Associa- tion in Halifax. "We have seen at different truck stops the driver gets out and walks around the truck and he is doing stretching exercises and then when he's done, before he gets back in the truck, he is stretching and twisting and you can see the evolution taking place," she says. According to a 2012 survey out of McMaster University in Hamilton, 31.1 per cent of truck drivers are physi- cally inactive. To help workers stave off obesity and Type 2 diabetes, employers can offer benefi ts such as counselling, access to nutritionists and discounts for fi tness equipment. POOR NUTRITION The McMaster study found 48.2 per cent of truck drivers had poor health, with more than eight in 10 (82.4 per cent) having high salt intake, found the survey of 406 truck drivers in southern Ontario. Liberty Linehaul posts healthy reci- pes and tips for healthy living and eating on the company Facebook page. The small staff of 150 are very active on Facebook, posting pictures of themselves with customers or at inter- esting places along their routes, so it's a great venue to get out safety, health and wellness information, says Taylor. Liberty's trucks are outfi tting with fridges and microwaves, so many driv- ers stop at grocery stores and stock up on healthier options. The trucks have auxiliary power units so drivers can use their devices without having the trucks on. "We are fi nally seeing the bigger guys buying Lean Cuisine and they just heat it up," says Taylor. Overall, truckers are starting to be more conscious of what they eat, says Corkum. "Even the places where they stop to eat now have healthier menus as well," she says. "It's not just the employers who are helping the drivers, it's the driver's family and there's The Healthy Trucker website where drivers can go on and have discussions about this, so it is becoming a social topic as well." In Canada, truckers generally need to complete a physical fi t-for-duty examination before they get their commercial license and then again every three years. (This varies based on age and jurisdiction.) Physicians are required to report any medical conditions or diagnoses that may disqualify a driver to the medical review board (or other desig- nated internal body) of the provincial driver's licensing department. Along with diabetes, other medical conditions that may prevent a driver from receiving or renewing his license include epilepsy, brain hemorrhage, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, certain heart conditions and high blood pressure. But this does not mean a driver with one of these conditions will never be able to drive again. If he manages the problem, he can re-qualify down the road. Liberty's drivers complete their physical examinations through a third-party facility. ON THE ROAD AGA N Serious health issues plaguing commercial long-haul truck drivers By Amanda Silliker AGA N

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