Job burnout, effort-reward imbalance and time pressure as predictors of safety among military truck drivers

Objective: This study examined how job burnout, time pressure and Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) stress may predict the safety performance of heavy military truck drivers, as manifested in road accidents and safe driving parameters. Background: Drivers that reported greater burnout symptoms also reported more aberrant driving behaviors. Furthermore, aberrant driving behaviors, such as traffic violations, are associated with a higher rate of road accidents and injuries. Therefore, there is a great importance in investigating the association between job stress experienced by drivers and traffic violations and road accidents they were involved in – rather than their aberrant driving behaviors alone. The study's predictions were that job burnout, time pressure and ERI stress would have a negative correlation with safe driving parameters and a positive correlation with involvement in road accidents. Method: The data consisted of self-reports regarding negative feelings (e.g., burnout) by truck drivers as well as multiple objective measures such as the In-Vehicle Data Recorder (IVDR) reports collected over the course of a year, and objective data including involvement in traffic accidents. Results: The drivers’ safety parameters revealed that 37.5% of the drivers were involved in road accidents and that 96.38% of them received safety scores of up to 97%. The safety scores based on the IVDR for the preceding year ranged from 74% to 100% (Mean = 96%, SD = 6.26). No differences have been found in the time pressure, burnout and ERI stress levels of drivers who had been involved in road accidents versus those who were not. Furthermore, no differences have been found in the driving safety scores of drivers who had been involved in road accidents versus those who had not. A strong correlation has been found between the occupational seniority of the drivers and safety scores referring to turns and braking during turns. Conclusion: The findings indicate that stress and burnout do not necessarily yield unsafe driving. The findings are explained on the basis of the safety climate expressed by tight control that the authorities exert on driver behavior, which may maintain safety levels even when drivers report negative feelings at work. Application: Safety-oriented procedures applied by the military organization are strongly recommended in other organizations.