The Influence of Sleep Quality, Safety Culture and Cabin Ergonomics on Work-Related Stress and Burnout of Bus Drivers in Lahore

Batool, Zahara; Yasir, Ammar · 2018 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1016/j.jth.2018.05.081

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Summary

This study investigates the determinants of work-related stress and burnout among professional bus drivers in Lahore, Pakistan, a context characterized by low-income conditions and high road traffic crash involvement. The research addresses the gap in understanding how health factors, safety culture, and cabin ergonomics influence the well-being of urban bus drivers who are frequently perceived as stressed and aggressive due to the pressures of serving a growing population. The primary objective was to measure stress and burnout levels and identify significant predictors from both health and work environment perspectives. The methodology involved interviewing a sample of 449 public and transit bus drivers in Lahore. Data collection utilized a questionnaire comprising three sections with validated subjective rating scales. Stress was assessed using Siegrist’s Effort/Reward imbalance model, while burnout was measured via the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Predictors included sleep quality, evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and safety culture, assessed using the Global Aviation Network scale. Additionally, the ergonomic design of the driver’s workstation was evaluated through five self-constructed questions, and socio-demographic and health data, including Body Mass Index (BMI), were collected. The study employed descriptive statistics and regression analyses, including simple linear and logistic regression, to determine significant determinants and their associations. The results indicate that stress is prevalent in both public and transit driver groups, emerging as a factor damaging to both physical and psychological health. A drastic increment in stress was found to boost burnout syndrome, which was suspected to be more severe in public bus drivers compared to transit drivers. Poor sleep quality (PSQI >5) and overweight status (BMI >25) were identified in both groups, with regression analyses confirming their joint effect in instigating stress and burnout. While safety culture and bus ergonomics were found to moderately affect both cases, low income level emerged as a dominant socio-demographic factor causing stress and burnout. The study concludes that insufficient organizational recognition and focus on health factors and safety culture significantly contribute to elevated stress and burnout levels among drivers. Specific detrimental conditions identified include the fear of pay deductions for missing timelines, prolonged sitting in overused buses with excessive vibrations, temperature increases due to engine heat, and the necessity of driving in dense, noisy traffic during hot summer days. These findings highlight the critical need for addressing both physiological and environmental stressors to improve driver health and driving performance in low-income urban settings.

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• truck driver fatigue
• shift work driving
• bus coach
• stress driving

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• Empirical Findings: physiological data