Determinants of occupational environment and heavy vehicle crashes in Western Australia: a case control study
Objective: To determine the association between a heavy vehicle driver's work environment, including fatigue-related characteristics, and the risk of a crash in Western Australia. Methods: This case–control study included 100 long-haul heavy vehicle drivers who were involved in a police-reporte...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
Elsevier Ltd
2015
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/10811 |
| _version_ | 1848747635724255232 |
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| author | Meuleners, Lynn Fraser, Michelle Govorko, M. Stevenson, M. |
| author_facet | Meuleners, Lynn Fraser, Michelle Govorko, M. Stevenson, M. |
| author_sort | Meuleners, Lynn |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Objective: To determine the association between a heavy vehicle driver's work environment, including fatigue-related characteristics, and the risk of a crash in Western Australia. Methods: This case–control study included 100 long-haul heavy vehicle drivers who were involved in a police-reported crash in WA and 100 long-haul heavy vehicle drivers recruited from WA truck stops, who were not involved in a crash in the previous 12 months. Driver demographics and driving details, work environment, vehicle and sleep-related characteristics were obtained using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Drivers were tested for obstructive sleep apnoea using an overnight diagnostic device. Conditional multiple logistic regression analysis was undertaken to determine work environment-related factors associated with crash involvement. Results: After accounting for potential confounders, driving a heavy vehicle with an empty load was associated with almost a three-fold increased crash risk compared to carrying general freight (adjusted OR: 2.93, 95% CI: 1.17–7.34). Driving a rigid heavy vehicle was associated with a four-fold increased risk of crashing compared to articulated heavy vehicles (adjusted OR: 4.08, 95% CI: 1.13–14.68). The risk of crashing was almost five times higher when driving more than 50% of the trip between midnight and 5.59 am (adjusted OR: 4.86, 95% CI: 1.47–16.07). Furthermore, the risk of crashing significantly increased if the time since the last break on the index trip was greater than 2 h (adjusted OR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.14–4.17). Drivers with more than 10 years driving experience were 52% less likely to be involved in a crash (adjusted OR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.23–0.99). Conclusion: The results provide support for an association between a driver's work environment, fatigue-related factors, and the risk of heavy vehicle crash involvement. Greater attention needs to be paid to the creation of a safer work environment for long distance heavy vehicle drivers. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T06:52:17Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-10811 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T06:52:17Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | Elsevier Ltd |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-108112017-10-02T02:28:22Z Determinants of occupational environment and heavy vehicle crashes in Western Australia: a case control study Meuleners, Lynn Fraser, Michelle Govorko, M. Stevenson, M. Objective: To determine the association between a heavy vehicle driver's work environment, including fatigue-related characteristics, and the risk of a crash in Western Australia. Methods: This case–control study included 100 long-haul heavy vehicle drivers who were involved in a police-reported crash in WA and 100 long-haul heavy vehicle drivers recruited from WA truck stops, who were not involved in a crash in the previous 12 months. Driver demographics and driving details, work environment, vehicle and sleep-related characteristics were obtained using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Drivers were tested for obstructive sleep apnoea using an overnight diagnostic device. Conditional multiple logistic regression analysis was undertaken to determine work environment-related factors associated with crash involvement. Results: After accounting for potential confounders, driving a heavy vehicle with an empty load was associated with almost a three-fold increased crash risk compared to carrying general freight (adjusted OR: 2.93, 95% CI: 1.17–7.34). Driving a rigid heavy vehicle was associated with a four-fold increased risk of crashing compared to articulated heavy vehicles (adjusted OR: 4.08, 95% CI: 1.13–14.68). The risk of crashing was almost five times higher when driving more than 50% of the trip between midnight and 5.59 am (adjusted OR: 4.86, 95% CI: 1.47–16.07). Furthermore, the risk of crashing significantly increased if the time since the last break on the index trip was greater than 2 h (adjusted OR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.14–4.17). Drivers with more than 10 years driving experience were 52% less likely to be involved in a crash (adjusted OR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.23–0.99). Conclusion: The results provide support for an association between a driver's work environment, fatigue-related factors, and the risk of heavy vehicle crash involvement. Greater attention needs to be paid to the creation of a safer work environment for long distance heavy vehicle drivers. 2015 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/10811 10.1016/j.aap.2015.11.023 Elsevier Ltd restricted |
| spellingShingle | Meuleners, Lynn Fraser, Michelle Govorko, M. Stevenson, M. Determinants of occupational environment and heavy vehicle crashes in Western Australia: a case control study |
| title | Determinants of occupational environment and heavy vehicle crashes in Western Australia: a case control study |
| title_full | Determinants of occupational environment and heavy vehicle crashes in Western Australia: a case control study |
| title_fullStr | Determinants of occupational environment and heavy vehicle crashes in Western Australia: a case control study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Determinants of occupational environment and heavy vehicle crashes in Western Australia: a case control study |
| title_short | Determinants of occupational environment and heavy vehicle crashes in Western Australia: a case control study |
| title_sort | determinants of occupational environment and heavy vehicle crashes in western australia: a case control study |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/10811 |