![]() ![]() To the extent that it is not already legally required, equipping the driver’s seat with a three-point seat-belt and head rest are recommended. Adjustable lumbar support is strongly advised. The driver’s seat should have a total of five adjustments: seat length and height settings, seat back angle, seat bottom angle and seat depth. Steps in the entrance area must be of equal height and have adequate step depth. Anything that can be stumbled on should be avoided. Since stumbling and falling are the most common causes of workplace accidents among drivers, particular attention should be paid to the design of the entrance to the driver’s workstation. The instrument panel with the controls can be adjusted in coordination with the steering wheel. ![]() ![]() Ergonomically optimized and unified driver's workstation for busses in Germany.Ĭourtesy of Erobus GmbH, Mannheim, Germany The steering wheel diameter now in general use apparently comes from a time when power steering was not common in buses. Using a smaller steering wheel also improves spatial relations. This can be coordinated with the steering wheel adjustment. Furthermore, the instrument panel should also be adjustable for optimal access to adjustment levers and for good visibility of the instruments. For this purpose, the optimal seat placement has a back incline about 20°, which is further from the vertical than has previously been the norm in commercial vehicles. The adjustability and the ways of adjusting the driver’s seat and steering wheel should be coordinated so that all drivers within the design range can find positions for their arms and legs that are comfortable and ergonomically healthy. Special proportions, such as being overweight and having long or short limbs, should also be taken into account in the design. For central Europe, this means a body-size range of 1.58 to 2.00 m. The measurements of the driver’s cabin and the adjustments that can be made to the seat and steering wheel must fall within a range that is applicable to all drivers. The driver’s workstation in buses is normally designed in the form of a half-open cabin. The results of the interdisciplinary project in Germany resulted in a new, standardized driver’s workstation (Verband Deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen 1996). In recent years, research projects on, among other things, the ergonomically optimal driver’s workstation were conducted in Canada, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands (Canadian Urban Transit Association 1992 Peters et al. Ergonomic design of the driver’s workstation is a necessary component of driver safety and health protection. In the past, the requirements of the driver’s workstation were considered only after other requirements, such as design of the passenger area. An especially necessary technical measure is the ergonomically optimal design of the driver’s workstation. Informing the personnel of and motivating them to health-conscious conduct (e.g., proper diet, adequate movement within and outside of the workstation) can play an important role in promoting health. An important work practice is the arranging of shift schedules so that the stress on the drivers is minimized and their personal desires are also taken into account to the extent possible. In order to achieve more effective occupational safety in the field of commercial driving, technical as well as organizational measures are necessary. This results in drivers often not reaching retirement age, but rather having to quit driving early for health reasons (Beiler and Tränkle 1993 Giesser-Weigt and Schmidt 1989 Haas, Petry and Schühlein 1989 Meifort, Reiners and Schuh 1983 Reimann 1981). Especially significant are diseases of the stomach and digestive tract, of the motor system (especially the spine) and of the cardiovascular system. But the sum of the stresses and the resulting strain leads to bus drivers having more frequent health problems than other workers. Numerous studies of the activity of bus drivers have shown that the individual stresses are not great enough to cause an immediate health hazard. Ergonomic shortcomings in the driver’s workstation increase physical stresses. Rotating shift work is also psychologically and physically stressful. Psychological stresses result from the responsibility for the safe transport of passengers, scant opportunity to communicate with colleagues and the time pressure of holding to a fixed schedule. In most transit companies, the drivers must, in addition to driving responsibilities, handle tasks such as selling tickets, observing passenger loading and unloading and providing information to passengers. Most severe are the stresses of traffic in big cities, because of the heavy traffic and frequent stops. Bus driving is characterized by psychological and physical stresses. ![]()
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