Safety impact issues of job-associated sleep

PDFResearch PaperFatigue (Physiological condition)DrowsinessHuman factors in accidentsSleep deprivationTruck driversCabs (Vehicle compartments)Mid-America Transportation CenterRiley, M. W.Stentz, T. L.Tarawneh, I.Mid America Transportation CenterSomnos Laboratories, Inc.University Transportation Centers Program (U.S.)NTL-SAFETY AND SECURITY-Human FactorsNTL-SAFETY AND SECURITY-SAFETY AND SECURITYNTL-FREIGHT-Trucking IndustryUS Transportation CollectionThis research investigated the safety impact issues of job-associated sleep in truck drivers. The research focused on the anonymous survey of professional truck drivers. Information was gathered regarding perception of driving performance and its relationship to sleep on the road. In addition to the survey, detailed information was gathered on a typical sleeper berth used by 65% of the respondents. All recommendations address issues that were identified by less than 85% of the respondents in the questionnaire. Thus, the potential impact of these recommendaitons may be low due to the small response sample of professional drivers. First, drivers should be medically screened and treated if necessary for sleep disorders. Second, special training and education is needed to help drivers improve their strategies to overcome fatiguw and obtain highwar and/or greater quantity of sleep. Third, the presence of sleep deprivation in drivers, as a result of many contributing factors, indicates a need for a comprehensive design model for work-rest cycle planning. Fourth, the physical discomforts reported by drivers need additional investigation to determine the sources of exposure in order to facilitate exposure elimination or reduction