Correlates of return to work among truck and bus drivers

INTRODUCTION

Occupational injuries have been documented in the truck and driving subsector as major source of lost day of work, sick leaves and medical claims. The incidence rate for nonfatal occupational injuries in 2006 for this industry was 5.4 injuries per 100 full time workers which is 32% higher than all private industries. The transit and ground passenger transportation subsector nonfatal injuries and illness rate was 2.2 injuries per days away from work which is the fifth highest rate in the sector. Hence there is need to understand return to work (RTW) process after injuries in this industry. The purpose of this study is to identify correlates of RTW in this industry.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey study funded by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and conducted via internet based Survey Monkey to collect information after informed consent from a projected sample of about 200 injured truck and bus drivers in Connecticut is underway. Drivers aged 16 and older who sustained work injury within the past one year based on the company OSHA log are targeted for inclusion. The survey contains questions on personal, workplace, and other contextual factors. Data collected will be analyzed using SAS.

ANTICIPATED RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

We hypothesize that certain combination of psychosocial, demographic, and organizational factors will correlate with RTW. Identifying these correlates will provide understanding of RTW after injuries among drivers and can serve as basis to implement RTW programs in this industry.