Üsküdar University Faculty of Health Sciences Occupational Health and Safety Department Head Dr. Instructor Member Rüştü Uçan evaluated the importance of occupational health and safety in traffic accidents.
Stating that it is often talked about whether the drivers of the vehicles are at fault in traffic accidents, Dr. Instructor Member Rüştü Uçan said:
“Since the events have been approached only from the driver's (employee's) point of view, no results can be obtained. Road traffic safety management should be applied in companies that carry a large amount of freight and in bus companies. It is the holistic work done to prevent traffic accidents, prevent human deaths and injuries, and prevent moral and material losses due to traffic accidents.
In order to find the root cause of the traffic accident, accident investigation and root cause analysis must be carried out by a team with the competence and expertise to evaluate all these factors. Only in this way, accidents can be prevented, and it will be possible to determine the improvements that need to be made in the entire system with a holistic approach.
In particular, drivers who use commercial vehicles and work for a company should be considered as victims of traffic accidents, not the perpetrator, in the legal term. Road conditions, weather conditions, the driver, the road traffic safety management system of the company that the drivers serve, the traffic legislation of the country and the implementation system of this legislation should be examined in detail. Vehicles must comply with the speed limit that must be followed on inter-city roads, tachometers and GPS devices must be present in the trucks.
Stating that employers should create functional processes in all matters that may cause traffic accidents, Dr. Instructor Member Rüştü Uçan said, “For example, in driver competency evaluation and recruitment processes, it is necessary to have information such as traffic rules, driving proficiency, health status, past traffic fines. Presence and adequacy of the driver orientation program, reward-punishment practices, existence and adequacy of occupational safety training, periodically receiving safe driving training, monitoring compliance with legal driving, working and rest periods, monitoring health deterioration that may adversely affect driving, related to the road vehicle used. Critical issues such as providing all information and periodic feedback for continuous improvement should be carefully evaluated.
After the first accident in Mardin, the number of dead and injured increased with the second truck crash. This shows that the 112 teams that came to help started to help without creating road safety. This has been vitally wrong. In this regard, training and exercises should be given to these teams on how to act continuously. It is very wrong to be in the accident area as a spectator. As in here, it can cause death or disability of the person for life. As a society, we need to stop this immediately.
One of the biggest causes of traffic accidents is the driver's tired and sleepless driving. It is known that forcing drivers to work without rest plays an important role in frequent passenger bus accidents.” said.
Stating that the profession of chauffeur, which has been passed down from father to son, has caused difficulties in finding drivers in all sectors due to the fact that families do not want their children to do this job. Instructor Member Rüştü Uçan said, “This contraction in the supply of drivers increases the direct and indirect costs of companies due to the fact that companies cannot provide satisfactory economic conditions to the drivers they hire. . In addition, reasons such as chronic fatigue, chronic insomnia, not spending enough and quality time with the family cause negative results such as employee dissatisfaction, increase in the number of traffic accidents and fines.
Especially during the agricultural season, drivers who have fields and gardens in their hometowns earn more money from their chauffeuring profession, even if they are seasonal, so they quit their job and enter agricultural activities. This decrease in the supply of drivers and the shortage of qualified drivers cause the companies to accept all the negative conditions and their negative consequences, to hire only the drivers with legal documents without any evaluation and to accept the various conditions of the drivers. Unfortunately, very important issues such as the driver's legal qualifications, legal working hours, working conditions, health conditions and controls, psychological conditions, positions in social life, nutritional habits, occupational diseases remain in the background.
Driving fatigue and insomnia are one of the most important factors in the involvement of drivers engaged in freight and passenger transport with heavy vehicles in traffic accidents in our country. Studies in this area alone are needed. Drivers who drive for a long time without taking a break, drivers who drive at night, in the afternoon and during normal sleeping hours, drivers who take drugs or alcohol while sleeping, drivers who drive alone, drivers who drive on long and boring roads, drivers who travel frequently, drivers who have disturbed sleep and Tired drivers are the drivers most at risk for sleep-related accidents.” said.
Optimal response to insomnia zammoments and reduces performance in moderately sleepy persons at the time of danger. zamNoting that it prevents them from stopping instantly, Dr. Instructor Member Rüştü Uçan said, “Reaction zamVery slight deceleration at the time of the accident can have a profound effect on accident risks, especially at high speeds. The person who needs sleep gets tired more quickly at the wheel, zamAt the same time, his attention is reduced and he may fall asleep at the wheel and cause an accident.
Driver fatigue is a particular problem for truck drivers. One study found that 20% of all fatal crashes and 10% of injury crashes involving trucks occur during peak driver fatigue between midnight and 6:00 am. Truck driver fatigue has an impact of 30-40% on all truck crashes. Many studies reveal that young male drivers (under 30 years old) are more likely to be involved in sleep-related accidents. It revealed that nearly half of drivers involved in sleep-related accidents are male drivers under 30 (peak of age 21-25). said.
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