Authors
Birdsey-J; Alterman-T; Li-J; Petersen-MR; Sestito-J
Source
AAOHN J 2010 Nov; 58(11):473-480
Abstract
Previous studies report that truck drivers are at increased risk for illness and on-the-job mortality. It is unknown whether owner-operator truck drivers face the same risks as employee drivers, yet few studies have targeted owner-operators as a study population. This study examined the overall and cause-specific mortality ratios for a cohort with owner-operator truck drivers constituting 69% of the study population. Of the 26 major disease classifications and 92 specific causes of death examined, only mortality due to transportation accidents was significantly elevated (standardized mortality ratio=1.52, 95% confidence interval=1.36-1.70). Leading causes of death were ischemic heart disease and lung cancer, although risk was below that of the general population. Transportation accidents pose a particular hazard for members of the trade association. The absence of excess disease mortality deserves careful interpretation, and may be due to both a strong healthy worker effect and a short monitoring period.
Keywords
Mortality-data; Mortality-rates; Truck-drivers; Trucking; Transportation-workers; Transportation-industry; Statistical-analysis; Epidemiology
Contact
Jan Birdsey, MPH, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 4676 Columbia Parkway, R18, Cincinnati, OH 45226
Document Type
Journal Article
Email Address
JBirdsey@cdc.gov
Source Name
AAOHN Journal - American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Journal