TCRP Project F-17 Improving Bus Operator Health, Wellness, and Retention
October 2011-April 2013
The Center’s project team (Dr. Robin M. Gillespie, Xinge Wang and Tia Brown) has been working to identify and analyze improvements in operator health, absenteeism, medical disqualification, turnover, health care costs, and other relevant outcomes due to transit agency initiatives for health policy, scheduling, or other workplace improvements.
The first phase of this project catalogued and assessed the workplace health promotion program (WHPP) practices, goals and theories implemented by public transportation organizations, through a literature review a survey of 238 of transit agencies and unions, detailed case examples developed through follow-up with survey respondents and a series of illustrative case studies. The program and implementation models seen in practice are being compared with models described in the health promotion literature and practice to establish the outlines, targets, and effective actions for the final comprehensive workplace health promotion framework. The survey was sent in slightly different forms to agency CEOs and local union presidents; responses from 68 agencies across the US (52) and Canada (16) were received, and from 40 agencies represented by 44 local unions (8 Canadian and 36 US), for a total of 94 different agencies. A panel of Subject Matter Experts from agencies and union in the US and Canada was recruited to assess the information and contribute to the development of the proposed WHPP toolkit.
After conducting follow up interviews with agency and union contacts and performing initial data analysis, project staff produced:
• Industry profiles of worksite health protection and promotion (WHPP) activities
• Case descriptions of all respondents with WHPP programs
• A summary rating of all respondents’ program activity
• A set of case study targets that will illustrate development, implementation and assessment issues in WHPP
An interim report and draft materials will be submitted to the F-17 Panel on September 15. Following on their critique, revisions, and approval, the next phase is dedicated to producing a manual describing traditional and innovative workplace health promotion approaches, along with tools and support materials. Program options will be organized into a readily usable best-practices tool kit and implementation guide for step-by-step local action. This tool kit will include an approach to return on investment (ROI) in transit health promotion for use in local transit agencies.
This research process has already had an impact. As project staff probed for ideas and experience, some agency and union respondents have recognized potential improvements or been inspired by the discussion to reinvigorate their own programs. The impact has been especially clear in the area of collaboration and joint program sponsorship. This early impact is to be expected in the action research model that has been implemented throughout the F-17 project.
Phase 2 will continue to call on input from university-based consultants Dr. June M. Fisher, MD, Professor at the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center, Dr. Paul Landsbergis, Professor at SUNY Downstate, Dr. Deborah McLellan, PhD Researcher at Harvard School of Public Health Center for Work, Health, and Well-being and Dr. Charles Levenstein, Professor Emeritus of Work Environment Policy at University of Massachusetts, Lowell.
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