Some 40% of Australian drivers struggle to stay awake on the job – according to research results presented at the Australian Trucking Convention, and this obviously has implications for New Zealand drivers as well.
Sleep apnoea, which is a condition where a person has problems breathing while asleep, usually results in daytime sleepiness, fatigue and poor reaction times, according George Institute for Global Health researcher Lisa Sharwood.
She has visited 25 truck stops across NSW and Western Australia, interviewing 517 drivers who were on rest breaks and who had travelled more than 200 kilometres.
They were sent home with breathing monitors to test their sleep apnoea levels, with 12% turning positive.
Some 40% overall struggle to stay awake despite managing to have eight hours of sleep on their non-working days, and 6.7 hours whilst on shift.
Sharwood says employers need to be supportive of drivers as one driver who tested positive to sleep apnoea approached his employer about the results but was fired.
“He showed the employer the test result hoping for some assistance, trying to do the right thing, and was told to take a walk,” Sharwood says.
“There is a problem and there needs to be a regulatory requirement that drivers get assistance in identifying this disorder and their health risks at large.
“If somebody is not taking responsibility for the health of drivers then everybody on the road is at risk.”
