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Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities
Program Description
The mission of the NIOSH research program for the Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities Sector is to eliminate occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities among workers in these industries through a focused program of research and prevention. The program strives to fulfill its mission through the following methods:
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- High Quality Research: NIOSH will continually strive for high quality research and prevention activities that will lead to reductions in occupational injuries and illnesses among workers in the Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities industries.
- Practical Solutions: The NIOSH program for the Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities Sector is committed to the development of practical solutions to the complex problems that cause occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities among workers in these industries.
- Partnerships: Collaborative efforts in partnership with labor, industry, government, and other stakeholders are usually the best means of achieving successful outcomes. Fostering these partnerships is a cornerstone of the NIOSH program for the Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities Sector.
- Research to Practice (r2p): NIOSH research is truly valuable only when put into practice. Every research project within the NIOSH program for the Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities Sector formulates a strategy to promote the transfer and translation of research findings into prevention practices and products that will be adopted in the workplace.
Spotlights
U. S. Federal Aviation Administration Releases Pilot Scheduling Rules 
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released new scheduling rules on December 21, 2011 to help avoid fatigue among commercial airline pilots. Under the new rules, pilots would be required to get at least 10 hours of off-duty time between flight schedules, and would be limited to no more than nine hours of "flight time," which is considered by the FAA to be any time an airplane is moving on its own power, even if it is on the ground at airport. Pilots would also be limited to 28 working days in a month. Airlines will be given two years to comply. NIOSH research and comments were used in developing the final rule. View the final rule. PDF 1.7 MB (314 pages) The new rule applies to commercial passenger airline pilots but it is hoped that airlines carrying cargo would voluntarily comply with the new rules. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Aviation Industry have issued statements expressing disappointment that the rules do not include cargo flights. View the statements:
NTSB Press Release, December 21, 2011
Union Challenge Pilot-Fatigue Rules
U.S. Department of Transportation Takes Action to Ensure Truck Driver Rest Time and Improve Safety Behind the Wheel
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced a final rule by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to revises the hours-of-service (HOS) safety requirements for commercial truck drivers. The rule is available on FMCSA's Web site. FMCSA's new HOS final rule limits a driver's work week to 70 hours, a reduction of 12 hours, although the final rule retains the current 11-hour daily driving limit. In addition to the reduction, truck drivers must take a break of at least 30 minutes after working eight hours. The rule's "34-hour restart" provision allows drivers to restart the clock on their work week by taking at least 34 consecutive hours off-duty and requires truck drivers who maximize their weekly work hours to take at least two nights' rest between 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. The final rule allows drivers to use the restart provision only once during a seven-day period. Trucking companies that allow drivers to exceed the 11-hour driving limit by 3 or more hours could be fined $11,000 per offense, and the drivers themselves could face civil penalties of up to $2,750 for each offense. Commercial truck drivers and companies must comply with the HOS final rule by July 1, 2013.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Announces Federal Ban on Texting for Commercial Truck Drivers
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced federal guidance to expressly prohibit texting by drivers of commercial vehicles such as large trucks and buses. The prohibition is effective immediately and is the latest in a series of actions taken by the Department to combat distracted driving since the Secretary convened a national summit on the issue last September. The prohibition applies to drivers of interstate buses and trucks over 10,000 pounds. Truck and bus drivers who text while driving commercial vehicles may be subject to civil or criminal penalties of up to $2,750.
Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities, Advancing priorities through research and partnerships
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2010-106 (October 2009)
The Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities (TWU) Sector Fact Sheet provides information on injuries, illnesses, and fatalities in the TWU sector, NORA TWU sector goals, and information on how to become involved with the TWU NORA Sector Council.
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NIOSH Program:
Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities
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