Health and Safety

Darlene Wilson, Co-Chair

Welcome to the home of the Health and Safety Committee. This committee will keep you up-to-date on health and safety related material and meeting minutes. Check this page for resources and information regarding important Health and Safety developments at our workplace.

If you have a Health and Safety Concern, please address your concern with a Supervisor.

If you feel the concern is not addressed adequately, please fill out a Health and Safety Concern Form and hand it in to a Supervisor, who will give you a written response within 2 days and forward the concern and response to the Health and Safety Committee.

If you feel you are required to do work that you feel is unsafe and may endanger yourself or a coworker, REFUSE the unsafe work.

You have three fundamental rights under the Occupational Health and Safety Act:

RIGHT TO KNOW hazards involved in the work you do

RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE by electing health and safety committee workers

RIGHT TO REFUSE unsafe work

NEW INFO ON ELECTRONIC (RADIO) USAGE

If you have comments or concerns regarding this draft policy that you would like addressed through the Health and Safety Committee, please email Darlene, Co Chair JHSC

What Have You Done for ME LaTeLy?

Your Health and Safety Committee has worked hard to support your health and safety interests, and to foster a safe work environment. Below are some bulleted points of items of accomplishment at the JHSC level:

Health and Safety Hazards for Transit Bus Drivers

Dozens of studies conducted over the last four decades in cities on almost every continent show that city bus drivers, when compared to workers in other jobs, are more likely to experience

• death from heart and blood vessel disease
• heart and blood vessel-related conditions such as chest pain and high blood pressure
• digestive disorders
• musculoskeletal problems, especially of the back, neck and shoulders

Bus drivers frequently report tension, mental overload, fatigue and sleeping problems. Bus drivers also have more frequent absences from work and of longer duration than workers in other occupations. A large proportion of the work absences are attributable to stress-related disorders such as digestive problems and anxiety. Bus drivers retire earlier and at a younger age than other civil servants. Early retirement is usually accompanied by disability. The main health problems leading to disability are related to the back, tendons and joints, mental illness, and heart and blood vessel disease.
Stress is believed to play a significant role in causing two of the diseases (heart and blood vessel disease and digestive disorders) found in excess in bus drivers. Typically, stressful jobs are those which have high psychological demands and little decision-making control, in combination with low social support on the job. Bus driving is a classic example of a stressful job. Bus drivers must respond to multiple demands over which they have little control. The main tasks of a bus driver are to drive safely, keep on schedule, and treat passengers in a professional and courteous manner. Yet two of these tasks are inherently contradictory — maintaining the schedule and serving the public. In order to accomplish one, the other may have to be compromised. Traffic congestion is another stressor which enters this equation.
Social support helps protect individuals experiencing stress. Bus driving interferes with social support in two ways. The job itself is solitary with little chance for face-to-face contact between coworkers. The work schedule disrupts family and social life.
 

• traffic congestion
• constant time pressure
• little or no input into how work is organized or implemented
• disorderly passengers
• threat of physical assault and crime
• work schedule interference with home life and leisure activities
• social isolation on the job

How buses are designed and how work is scheduled may account for musculoskeletal problems associated with driving a bus. Musculoskeletal problems include back, neck, and shoulder problems. Muscle cramping, pressure points and poor circulation in the legs and buttocks are other examples. Long term exposure to whole-body vibration and impact while driving over bumps in the roads and rough road surfaces can result in low back problems.

• poor design of the driver's cab and hard to reach or poor layout of vehicle controls
• steering wheel placement not adjustable and too small or large in diameter
• shortcomings in the design of the seat such as no adjustable springs/suspension, no lumbar support and no height adjustability
• sitting for long periods of time
• holding a pedal down for long periods of time
• awkward working position
• inadequate rest breaks

Stress and musculoskeletal problems are not the only problems bus drivers face. Motor vehicle accidents are a serious safety hazard faced by bus drivers. Heavy traffic and bad weather increase the risk of accidents. These hazards are increased if the vehicle is not properly maintained. Examples of poor maintenance of vehicles include faulty brake systems, headlights or windshield wipers. Slipping on the bus floor, outside of the bus or on the steps are examples of other safety hazards.
There may be temperature problems in the bus — excessive heat in the summer or poor heating and blasts of cold air in the winter. Glare from sunlight may result in eyestrain. Noise can be a source of annoyance, distraction and fatigue. It may interfere with the driver's ability to concentrate or get auditory cues from the traffic on the road.
Bus drivers breathe in vehicle exhaust when readying the bus for service in the garage, from their own bus engine, and from surrounding traffic. Bus drivers are exposed to communicable diseases such as the common cold from the public. Another type of exposure may occur via skin contact with contaminated objects when cleaning the bus or during cleanup of body secretions or fluids in an emergency situation. The exposure of greatest concern is when the skin is punctured by a contaminated object such as a discarded needle.

Research supports a number of measures to reduce work hazards for city bus drivers. Measures include

• reduce traffic congestion (bus lanes, signal priority)
• reduce passenger inquiries (automated information systems)
• enhance driver security (alarm systems, emergency procedures)
• reduce social isolation on the job (schedule breaks in central locations)
• reduce fatigue and interference with personal life (improve work schedules)
• improve social aspects of work (supportive style of leadership)
• improve ergonomic design of buses (seat design, steering wheel design)

If you have a work-related health and safety concern
-talk to your union Health and Safety Committee representative. Your representative should be involved in identifying workplace hazards and recommending solutions to reduce or eliminate workplace hazards.
-talk to your supervisor about the problem.
-contact Corporate Health and Safety for the Region of Waterloo to help spread awareness of our health concerns
-contact the Centre for Occupational health and Safety, or  Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers , or WSIB if you need:

• to see a doctor to find out if your injury or illness may be caused by your work
• information on health and safety concerns in your workplace
• help in solving workplace health and safety problems
• education on specific health and safety issues
• library resources on workplace health and safety
• contact one of these government agencies

Show this fact sheet to your own doctor and discuss your personal cardiac risk profile. Your doctor or the Heart and Stroke Foundation can provide information for decreasing your risk for heart and blood vessel disease
1 Reference
Evans, G. & Carrere, S. (1991). Traffic congestion, perceived control, and psychophysiological stress among urban bus drivers. Journal of Applied Psychology. 76(5) p.658.