Alcohol, Stress-Related Factors, and Short-Term Absenteeism Among Urban Transit Operators

Abstract

Transit operators, relative to workers in many other occupations, experience high levels of work-related stress, as documented through neuroendocrine elevations on the job vis-à-vis resting states (J Occup Health Psychol. 1998;3:122-129). Previous research suggests that self-reported job stress is associated with higher levels of alcohol consumption among transit operators (Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2000;24:1011-1019 and with absenteeism (Working Environment for Local Public Transport Personnel, Stockholm: Swedish Work Environmental Fund, 1982; Work Stress. 1990;4:83-89

Cost of obesity in the workplace

“…There may also be synergistic effects of smoking and obesity, although such effects have not been confirmed (28). In addition, alcohol abuse is associated with BMI and increased sick leave (29,30), while increased participation in sports and physical activities is generally associated with a lower BMI and less sick leave (31,32).…”

“…Bungum et al (9) categorized employees in the municipal workforce of an undisclosed city in the United States into the following three BMI groups: normal (BMI <25), overweight (BMI [25][26][27][28][29][30], and obese (BMI >30). Among those in the obese group, absenteeism was highest when compared with that of the normal weight and overweight groups.…”

Evaluation of Short Duration Unscheduled Absences Among Transit Operators: TriMet Case Study

“…Two studies (1, 14) found a positive association between self-reported health problems and absence. Cunradi et al (2005) reported positive coefficients on problem drinking and job burnout with regard to absence. The data employed in the present study are generally not well-suited to measuring affective reactions.…”

“…Second, research suggests that absence may have little to do with job-related factors and instead may be driven by seemingly unrelated, external events. A recent study of transit operators lends support to this framework, finding that alcoholism and stressful life events are associated with increased absence frequency (Cunradi et al, 2005). Lastly, a functionalist framework contends that what is generally labeled "absence" actually encompasses a variety of distinct behaviors (Fichman, 1984).…”

“…For example, the time barrier category consisted of 31 unique codings, ranging from missed relief to unruly passengers to various vehicle malfunctions. Cunradi et al (2005) found that San Francisco MUNI operators who reported having had "miss outs" (last minute failures to report) in the past year also reported more frequent and severe stressors on the job. However, there is no way to distinguish whether operators with miss outs experienced different working conditions or merely were more affected by similar conditions.…”