Factors associated with different levels of daytime sleepiness among Korean construction drivers: a cross-sectional study

Background Commercial vehicle accidents are the leading cause of occupational fatalities and an increased risk of traffic accidents is associated with excessive fatigue, other health problems as well as poor sleep during work. This study explores individual and occupational factors associated with different levels of daytime sleepiness and identifies their association with driving risk among occupational drivers working at construction sites. Methods This cross-sectional and correlational study adopted a self-reported questionnaire of Korean construction drivers (N = 492). The data were collected from October 2018 to February 2019 using a battery of six validated instruments about participants’ sociodemographic, health-related, and occupational characteristics. One-way ANOVA and multinomial logistic regression were conducted using IBM SPSS WIN/VER 25.0, with a two-tailed alpha of .05. Results Based on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, “moderate” (31.7%) and “severe” (10.2%) daytime sleepiness groups were identified. There were significant differences in break time, driving fatigue, depressive symptom, subjective sleep quality, physical and mental health, and driving risk among the three groups (all p-values < .001). Driving fatigue (Adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] = 1.08, 1.17), depressive symptoms (aOR = 0.91, 0.98), subjective sleep quality (aOR = 1.18 in moderate only), and driving over the speed limit (aOR = 1.43, 2.25) were significant factors for determining “moderate” and “severe” daytime sleepiness groups, respectively. Conclusion A significant number of construction drivers experience excessive daytime sleepiness; thus it is important to reduce the negative impact of driving fatigue and other factors on daytime sleepiness. Our study findings suggest that occupational health care providers should pay attention to development and implementation of health management interventions to reduce driving fatigue that incorporate the drivers’ physical, mental, and occupational factors. Professional organizations need to establish internal regulations and public policies to promote health and safety among occupational drivers who specifically work at construction sites.

Effects of Occupational Drivers’ Traffic Accident History on Risk Perception, Work Attitudes, and Unstable Driving

In previous studies the risk perception of future accidents was the main variable likely to affect safe driving. However, findings on the relationship between traffic accident history and risk perception of future accidents have been inconsistent. Moreover, in the case of occupational drivers, work attitudes could be the main factor affecting safe driving. However, no research has been conducted on the direct relationship between traffic accident history and work attitudes. Therefore, present study examined the effect of occupational drivers’ traffic accident history on their risk perception, work attitudes, and unstable driving. Data analysis was based on a self-reported survey of Korean occupational drivers (n = 388) and their official traffic accident records. Results show that traffic accident history was associated significantly with professional pride, job satisfaction, and aggressive driving but not with risk perception of future accidents or job stress. Moreover, all variables measuring unstable driving behavior were significantly related to professional pride, job satisfaction, and job stress. Furthermore, professional pride turned out to mediate the relationship between traffic accident history and current unstable driving. The major finding is that there is no significant relationship between traffic accident history and risk perception of future accidents. Furthermore, traffic accident history has a significant effect on positive variables such as professional pride and job satisfaction but not on negative variables such as job stress. In addition, the significant mediator in the relationship between traffic accident history and current unstable driving behavior was only professional pride.