Drowsy Driving and Risk Behaviors

English: An advisory sign on Interstate 15 in Utah near Mt. Nebo. It reminds drowsy drivers to get off the freeway. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

CDC analyzed data regarding drowsy driving by selected characteristics, including sleep patterns and risk behaviors, from 92,102 adult survey respondents in 10 states and Puerto Rico in 2011–2012. Among the respondents, 4% reported having fallen asleep while driving in the previous 30 days. In addition to known risk factors, drowsy driving was more prevalent among men, younger drivers, binge drinkers, and among drivers who did not regularly use seatbelts compared with other respondents.

As many as 7,500 fatal motor vehicle crashes in the United States each year might involve drowsy driving, and 4.2% of adult respondents to a 2009–2010 survey reported falling asleep while driving at least once during the previous 30 days. Adults who reported usually sleeping ≤6 hours per day, snoring, or unintentionally falling asleep during the day were more likely to report falling asleep while driving than adults who did not.

Click here to read the complete study.

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NIOSH Research on Work Schedules and Work-related Sleep Loss

Today's post was shared by Safe Healthy Workers and comes from blogs.cdc.gov

Yesterday, in honor of National Sleep Awareness Week, we blogged about sleep and work and the risks to workers, employers, and the public when workers’ hours and shifts do not allow for adequate sleep.   This blog provides a brief overview of some of the work that NIOSH intramural scientists are carrying out to better understand these risks and ways to prevent them. Nurses/Reproduction Issues/Shift Work NIOSH studies are examining shift work and physical demands with respect to adverse pregnancy outcome among nurses, specifically the association between work schedule and risk of spontaneous abortion, preterm birth, and menstrual function.  This research was the first to look at shift work and pregnancy in U. S. nurses.  NIOSH researchers are collaborating with the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study, which is the largest, ongoing prospective study of nurses. Results have shown that an increased risk of several reproductive outcomes, including spontaneous abortion, early preterm birth, and menstrual cycle irregularities, are related to shift work, particularly working the night shift. In addition, results show independent effects on reproductive outcomes from long working hours.  The study hopes to establish a cohort of over 100,000 female nurses of...

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Jon L. Gelman of Wayne NJ is the author NJ Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson) and co-author of the national treatise, Modern Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson). For over 4 decades the Law Offices of Jon L Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com  have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.

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Found on

Sleep, Pain, and Hospital Workers

Today's post was shared by Safe Healthy Workers and comes from blogs.cdc.gov

Orfeu M. Buxton, PhD; Glorian Sorensen, PhD, MPH

We know that decreased sleep duration and extended shifts in healthcare workers are linked to workplace injuries.  The effects of decreased sleep on pain in the workplace are less clear.

New research from the Harvard Center for Work, Health and Wellbeing  –one of four NIOSH Centers of Excellence funded to explore and research the concepts of Total Worker Health™- examines the question: Does lack of sleep increase pain and limit function among hospital care workers? 

The study, published in the American Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, finds that sleep deficiency (including short sleep duration, insomnia symptoms, sleep insufficiency, or all three) is significantly associated with pain, functional limitations of daily living tasks due to that pain, and difficulty performing work tasks due to that pain, among hospital care workers.

NIOSH Announces the Top 10 Science Blog Posts in 2012

The list shows the vast array of topics covered by NIOSH.  Of note this year, the third and eleventh most viewed blogs were written by external partners.

1. Help Wanted: Spray Polyurethane Foam Insulation Research.  We urged you to help us collect on-site air samples during SPF installation.  The response was fantastic!  Thank you!
2. Worker Exposure to Crystalline Silica During Hydraulic Fracturing   highlighted a newly-identified hazard in the fracking industry, provided prevention information and asked for assistance with future efforts. 
3. Hair Formaldehyde and Industrial Hygiene, from the Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology (CROET) at Oregon Health and Science University, summarized the campaign to inform stylists of the risks related to formaldehyde-containing hair straighteners and the need for proper protection. 
4. Sleep and Work. In honor of National Sleep Awareness Week we summarized sleep and work issues in this blog and highlighted NIOSH research in the companion blog NIOSH Research on Work Schedules and Work-related Sleep Loss(#6). 
5. Stress and Health in Law Enforcement highlighted research from the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress (BCOPS) study and from related studies of morbidity and mortality among police officers. 
6. See #4 above
7. Brain Injury in the NFL discussed new research finding that National Football League (NFL) players may be at a higher risk of death associated with Alzheimer’s and other impairments of the brain and nervous system than the general U.S. population.
8. Safer and Healthier at any Age:  Strategies for an Aging Workforce  presented strategies for preparing your workplace to accommodate an older workforce. 
9. All-terrain Vehicles and Work highlighted the risks associated with ATVs and identified safe practices for use in the workplace.
10. Respiratory Protection for Workers Handling Engineered Nanoparticles.  While this blog was technically posted in December of 2011 we included it anyway.  This blog provided an update on the science and rationale behind NIOSH’s recommendations for the use and selection of respirators against engineered nanoparticles.
11. Sleep Pain and Hospital Workers, from colleagues at Harvard, examined the question: Does lack of sleep increase pain and limit function among hospital care workers?
12. Safety and Health in the Theater:  Keeping Tragedy Out of the Comedies… and Musicals…and Dramas discussed the often overlooked hazards in the theater.

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