In order to do your job well, you have to be well. Your good health is an important part of everything you do—both on the job and off. Today, we’re going to talk about some wellness strategies you can use to help prevent accidents and injuries on the job. We’ll also talk about simple ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle that will assist in avoiding disease and disabilities so that you can keep working and keep doing all the things you like to do in your life.

 

Session Objectives

The main objective of this session is to talk about wellness and how it affects your job. By the time the session is over, you should be able to:

• Understand why wellness matters;
• Manage fatigue and stress on the job;
• Prevent colds and flu;
• Avoid crime and violence; and
• Live a healthy, productive lifestyle.

Why Wellness Matters?

Wellness is an important issue for you for several reasons.

• Studies conducted by federal highway safety experts such as the National Transportation Safety Board have shown that a significant number of truck accidents are health-related. Fatigue, heart trouble, and other health problems are known to play a role in many accidents, injuries, and driver deaths. So, that makes wellness an important safety factor.
• Being healthy also helps you function better both on and off the job. You feel better, have more energy, and therefore work better and enjoy your leisure time more.
• Wellness allows you to qualify for your job and keeps you on the job earning a paycheck. And that’s very important, too.
• Wellness is also about preventing illness and disease. Wellness helps you to live a more comfortable, longer, and happier life.

Think about the importance of good health in your work and personal life. You can probably think of other reasons wellness matters to you.

Fatigue

One of the most important safety-related issues for drivers is fatigue. Fatigue increases the risk you’ll make mistakes while driving. Fatigue affects almost all of the faculties you need to drive safely. Fatigue affects:

• Reflexes, slowing your reaction time;
• Judgment, making it more likely that you’ll make mistakes and take risks;
• Concentration, allowing your mind to wander and increasing the chances of being distracted;
• Alertness, increasing the chance that you’ll miss important traffic cues; and
• Mood, influencing your attitude and leaving you unmotivated.

Managing Fatigue

Fatigue is a wellness issue, as well as a safety issue. To manage it and keep healthy and safe while you drive, there are several key steps you can take.

• First of all, get enough sleep. As a group, drivers tend not to get enough sleep, and as we’ve seen, that can be a dangerous thing. So, start with sleep—a full 7 or 8 hours a day of uninterrupted sleep.
• Add to that three well-balanced meals a day. Good, nutritious food provides the energy you need to drive for long hours and stay awake and alive.
• Keeping the environment in your cab comfortable—not too hot, not too cool—will also help keep you awake and alert.
• Take periodic rest breaks and get out of your vehicle. Walk around, get some fresh air. Have a light snack. A cup of coffee’s fine. But don’t overdo it. Too much coffee could interfere with your sleep later.
• Finally, if you start to feel very tired while driving, even if it isn’t time for a scheduled break, pull over and take a quick nap. Even 15 minutes of shut-eye can help fight fatigue.

Think about the strategies you use for fighting fatigue on the job.

Stress

As you well know, there are numerous sources of stress in your job. You can be stressed by traffic, delivery schedules, dealing with customers and bosses, paperwork, and the boredom of long hours on the road. If you work alone, loneliness can also cause stress.

• Stress can lead to physical discomfort such as headaches, indigestion, and other aches and pains.
• Unmanaged stress over time can do even worse things to your body. It can contribute to serious health problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease.
• Finally, stress also affects your mood, and over time, unmanaged stress can lead to depression. Furthermore, stress affects your safety attitude. When you’re all stressed out, you’re likely to be less careful, pay less attention to what you’re doing, and take more risks—all of which can lead to an accident.

Think about how work stress affects you. What other effects have you noticed?

Managing Stress

You may not be able to avoid stress, but there’s a lot you can do to effectively manage the stress in your life. Here are some ideas.

• Count to 10 or take several deep breaths any time you start to feel stressed. Counting to 10 gives you time to think before you react to a stressful situation. And the deep breaths help release all that physical tension that comes with stress.
• Listening to your favorite music while driving can also help. Music has a calming effect on your mood and your physical state.
• If you’re having a tough day, call a friend or family member during a driving break and talk about it. Getting things out will help you let it all go and relax instead of stewing about it and getting angrier.
• Try to maintain a sense of humor. Laughter really is good medicine for stress. The act of laughing releases physical tension. Humor also helps you realize that maybe things aren’t as important as you think. Most things certainly aren’t worth driving yourself crazy over.
• Exercising regularly, and
• Taking some time to relax and doing something you really enjoy every day are also great stress relievers.

Think about other ways you manage stress on the job.

Ergonomics

Ergonomics is another important wellness issue for drivers. Ergonomics is about performing your job in such a way as to prevent injury to your back and other vulnerable parts of your body. Here are some ergonomic tips that can help you work more comfortably and prevent injuries.

• Begin by being careful getting in and out of your vehicle to avoid straining muscles or stumbling and falling.
• Maintain good posture while you drive. Sit up straight and keep your shoulders relaxed.
• Adjust your seat for maximum comfort. Using a small cushion to support your lower back can help prevent backaches from long hours of sitting.
• And also shift your position a little from time to time to relieve muscle tension.
• Walking around and stretching during breaks from driving can also help.
• And don’t forget to lift and carry heavy objects properly. When lifting, bend at the knees and let your legs power the lift. Improper lifting is a very common way for drivers to strain their backs.

Think about other ergonomic precautions you take to work more comfortably and prevent injuries.

Preventive Health Care

Wellness also means seeing healthcare professionals for preventive care rather than only when you’re sick or have a health problem.

• All drivers should have regular physical exams so that the doctor can catch any health problems in the earliest stages. With most diseases, early diagnosis and treatment result in the best long-term outcome. Diseases truckers most often need to be concerned about include high blood pressure and strokes, heart disease, diabetes, and gastrointestinal problems primarily brought on by poor diet and stress.
• You should also have regular eye care. Good vision is critical to your job, so be sure to have your vision checked annually so that vision problems can be corrected. The eye doctor will also check for problems such as glaucoma and other eye diseases.
• Regular dental care is important, too. Most dentists recommend a cleaning and checkup every 6 months. Regular preventive dental care can prevent gum problems and tooth loss. You should also brush teeth at least twice a day and floss once a day.
• And, be sure to carry prescribed medications with you and take them at prescribed times, even when you’re on the road. Talk to your doctor about any medication that makes you drowsy so that you can use a different medication that doesn’t affect your driving.

Preventing Colds and Flu

It’s not easy to prevent colds and flu when you come in contact with so many places and people during a normal workweek—not to mention friends, family, people in malls and stores, and so on when you’re off work. But here are some simple health practices that can help protect you.

• Avoid direct contact with people who are already sick. Try not to get too close, especially if they’re coughing and sneezing—two key ways colds and flu are transmitted.
• Keep your hands clean. Frequent cleansing can get rid of a lot of cold and flu germs. Carry alcohol wipes with you in case you can’t wash with soap and water.
• Avoid touching your nose, mouth, and eyes with unwashed hands.
• Drink plenty of fluids. Being well hydrated helps your body fight infections.
• So does getting enough sleep. If your body is run down because you’re tired, you’re more likely to catch a cold or the flu. Think of some other ways you can protect yourself during cold and flu season—for example, wiping down your cab with a sanitizer or avoiding touching items touched by people who are sick. Some people take extra vitamin C to help keep their immune systems strong.

Crime and Violence Prevention

Your job puts you at risk in another way. Because you’re out on the road, you are exposed to the potential for crime and violence. You should always be on the alert—day or night. Female drivers may be especially vulnerable and should be extra cautious.

• Always lock your vehicle—when you’re out of it and when you’re in it.
• Be careful when you leave your vehicle in parking lots, rest stops, and on the street, especially at night. • Carry a cell phone and report any suspicious activity or individuals to the police.
• Don’t get involved in disputes with other drivers. A lot of violence on the road involves fights between drivers. Talk your way out of conflict or just walk away. Getting involved in a fight could get you injured or arrested.
• Report any crime or violence that you witness or in which you are a victim to the police right away.

Think about the precautions you take to keep safe from crime and violence when you’re on the road.

Wellness Basics: Which Statements Are True?

Let’s try a little test now to see how much you remember about the information about wellness presented in the previous slides. Decide whether statements on the screen are true and which are false.

• Wellness has little to do with your job. Not true. Wellness is important to safety as well as to how well you do your job.
• Wellness involves getting preventive health care. True. You should have regular medical, vision, and dental care.
• Unmanaged stress can make you sick. True. Over time stress can contribute to serious diseases like heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
• There’s no effective way to avoid colds and flu in a job like yours. Not true. You can take steps to prevent germs from making you sick— frequent handwashing, for example, is one of the best ways.
• Fatigue is a job hazard you can’t avoid. Not true. There’s a lot you can do to manage fatigue, including getting enough sleep.

Wellness Basics

Now it’s time to ask yourself if you understand all of the information presented so far. For example, do you understand what we’ve said about:

• The importance of wellness?
• Fatigue and stress hazards and management?
• The importance of preventive health care?
• How to prevent colds and flu?
• Steps to avoid crime and violence on the road?

It’s important for you to understand all this information so that you can stay healthy and injury-free and can keep working. Let’s continue now to the next set of slides and discuss healthy lifestyle choices.

Healthy Lifestyle: Smoking

Most of the lifestyle suggestions we’re going to make in the following slides involve positive health choices. But let’s start with two negative choices—smoking and abuse of alcohol and drugs. • Smoking is the major cause of lung cancer, which is a leading cause of cancer death in the United States for both men and women.

• Smoking can also lead to heart disease, stroke, and emphysema.
• When you stop smoking, you reduce your risk of illness and disease almost immediately. Within a few years after quitting, you’ll reduce the risk of a heart attack and lung cancer by 50 percent. When you stop smoking you will also feel better, have more energy, breathe easier, and have more money. Just think of all you are currently spending on smoking and what you could do with all that money.
• Finally, remember that millions of Americans have quit. You can, too.

Now, let’s turn our attention to alcohol and drugs.

Healthy Lifestyle:

If you want to stay healthy and if you care about yourself and your family, you will:

• Drink in moderation, if at all, and only on days off;
• Follow doctor’s orders when taking prescription medications and follow directions with over-the-counter drugs; and
• Choose not to use illegal drugs of any kind.

Are you familiar with our alcohol and drug policy? All drivers should be.

Healthy Lifestyle: Sleep

Getting enough sleep is another important ingredient in a healthy life. Unfortunately, many drivers often don’t get as much sleep as they need. Here are some tips that can help.

• Develop a routine that helps you relax and prepare for sleep. Some people relax with music, others by reading for a while.
• Try to go to sleep at more or less the same time every day, including your days off. This helps your body develop a sleep routine so you get a better rest.
• Create an atmosphere that helps you get to sleep and stay asleep, whether you’re sleeping in your cab, a truck stop bunk, or your bedroom at home.
• Watch what you eat and drink before bedtime. Avoid coffee and other caffeinated drinks before going to sleep. A light snack is fine, but avoid heavy, greasy, or sugary foods.
• Finally, see a doctor about persistent sleep problems. They may be a sign of some other health problem.

Healthy Lifestyle: Weight Control

Maintaining a healthy weight is an important wellness issue for many drivers. As a group, drivers tend to be overweight. The reason is most likely attributable to a job where you sit a lot and eating patterns that may introduce a lot of fat and sugar into your diet. Carrying too much excess weight is a health problem because it can lead to diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. There are basically three factors you have to take into account to maintain a healthy weight.

• The first is eating foods that will give you the energy you need without adding extra pounds to your body. You want to eat sensibly so that you get the most from the calories you take in. Empty calories from sweets or junk food just turn into fat.
• The second factor is physical activity to burn off excess calories before they turn into fat.
• And the third factor is balancing calorie intake with physical activity so that all the calories you take in every day are used to fuel your body, rather than being turned into fat.

How about you? Are you maintaining a healthy weight or could you stand to lose a few pounds?

Healthy Lifestyle: Nutrition

Good old Mark Twain once said that part of the secret of success in life is eating what you like and letting the food fight it out inside. Wouldn’t it be great if you could take his advice and eat whatever you want and as much as you want? But if you want to be fit and healthy, you have to eat a well-balanced diet rich in a variety of foods that provide all the essential nutrients.

A healthy diet contains foods from all of the food groups:

• Fruits and vegetables;
• Whole grains in bread and cereal;
• Fat-free or low-fat milk products;
• Protein in lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and
• Plenty of water every day to keep you well hydrated.
• A healthy diet is also low in saturated fat, trans fat, bad cholesterol, salt, and added sugar.

Does this sound like your daily diet? If not, maybe you should consider making some healthy changes.

Healthy Lifestyle: Eating Well on the Road

It’s hard to maintain a healthy diet eating on the road. But it’s not impossible.

• Pack your own meals in a cooler if you’re only going to be on the road for a day or two.
• If you have to eat in restaurants or buy takeout, remember these healthy tips:

– Pick lower-fat foods and smaller portions. Go broiled or baked instead of fried;

– Order a salad or vegetables, too. And skip dessert.

Think about healthy steps you can take to eat good, nutritious, low-fat meals on the road.

Healthy Lifestyle: Exercise

Exercise is also important in maintaining fitness and wellness. Exercise helps you maintain a healthy weight, improves muscle tone, helps circulation, and strengthens your cardiovascular system.

With your job, getting enough exercise might not always be easy. But you really should make time for exercise because the results will make a big difference.

Here are tips for getting some exercise every day:

• Walk or jog around parking lots or use a jump rope for aerobic exercise.
• Park at the far end of the lot so you have to walk to the rest stop facilities.
• Do sit-ups and push-ups to keep muscles toned.
• And have an exercise routine for days off, and stick to it. Lift weights, ride a bike, walk, swim, play basketball, or do whatever other activity you enjoy for at least 30 minutes each of your days off.

Do you get enough physical activity on a regular basis? Your health and well-being depend on it. If you’re not currently getting enough exercise, think of ways you could add more physical activity into your life on the road and at home.

Healthy Lifestyle: Family Ties

Living a healthy life also means keeping in touch with loved ones even when you’re away from home. Here are some tips for staying connected with family and friends.

• Call home frequently or keep in touch by e-mail. That way you keep up with goings-on at home, and let your family know how you’re doing.
• Take lots of pictures of family and friends with you on the road. When you get lonely, you can go through them. It’s not as good as being with them, but it helps.
• If you have very young children, make a video or DVD of yourself when you’re going to be away a long time. That way they can watch it while you’re gone. You could even make a video of yourself reading a bedtime story.
• Plan family activities on your days off. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Just eating meals together, playing with kids in the back yard, enjoying hobbies, or watching a movie together can bring family closer together.
• And, visit friends on your day off or have them come to your house for a meal. Get together to participate in sports or other activities.

Healthy Lifestyle Choices: True or False?

Let’s take a few minutes now to review some key points about healthy lifestyle choices by taking a short true/false quiz. Your job is to decide if the statements on the screen are true or false. Let’s begin.

• If you’ve smoked for a long time, healthwise it’s not worth quitting now. True or false?

– The correct answer is false. It’s never too late to quit or to gain the health benefits from quitting.

• You should develop a routine that helps you relax and prepare for sleep. True or false?

– The correct answer is true. You’ll fall asleep faster and sleep better.

• The only way to maintain a healthy weight is to eat a lot less. True or false?

– The correct answer is false. You can also get more exercise and make healthier food choices that allow you to eat well but add fewer calories.

• There’s not much you can do about healthy eating on the road. True or false?

– The correct answer is false. There are many ways you can make healthy food choices even when you eat in restaurants or buy takeout food.

How did you do? Did you get all the answers right?

Healthy Lifestyle Choices

This is a good time to ask yourself if you understand the information in the previous slides about healthy lifestyle choices. Do you understand what we’ve discussed about:

• Why smoking and substance abuse are bad for your health?
• How to get a good night’s sleep wherever you are?
• How to maintain a healthy weight?
• Proper nutrition and tips for eating healthy on the road?
• The need for regular exercise?
• The importance of maintaining close ties with family and friends?

All of this information can help you lead a healthy lifestyle.

Now, let’s conclude the session with some key points to remember.

Key Points to Remember

Here are the main points to remember from this session on driver wellness:

• Wellness is an important factor in your job and your life.
• Making healthy choices will help you be safer and more productive on the job.
• Good health also contributes to a better, longer, and happier life.
• Simple lifestyle choices can help you improve wellness and live a healthier life.

This concludes the Driver Wellness training session.