Keep Your Crew Safe – and Healthy

Every day, 1 million shipments of hazardous materials are transported in the U.S. Last year alone, the U.S. Department of Transportation processed more than 20,000 incident reports involving hazardous materials.1

Our job is to protect your crew’s health and safety throughout their journey, every step of the way.

Whether you transport through trucking, railway, air or water, occupational and environmental health and safety (OEHS) experts work with your team by reducing risks to keep transportation workers healthy and safe.

Learn more about how your transportation company can improve the health climate for your workers and access valuable resources.

1 Source: erailsafe.com; U.S. Dept. of Transportation
(https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/training/hazmat/phmsas-quarterly-newsletter-hazardous-materials-safety-april-june-2022)

Freight Railway

Go beyond zero-incidence to protect the long-term health of your workers.

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Public Transportation

Traveling to and from work or other destinations for day-to-day life carries an inherent health risk, especially if you rely on public transportation services or drivers-for-hire that transport many passengers a day.

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Trucking

From picking up, to transporting, to unloading, OEHS experts help you keep your drivers safe today, and healthy in years to come.

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Resources

Media Coverage

Worker Health and Safety in the News

Read the latest news articles and stories about the AIHA’s Worker Health and Safety initiative and its efforts, including media interviews with our leadership and volunteers.

General Transportation

NIOSH Evaluates Health Hazards at Train Maintenance Facility

A new report (PDF) published by NIOSH describes a health hazard evaluation that the agency conducted at a train maintenance facility in June and July 2019 at the request of a union that operated at the site.

IH/OEHS Exposure Profiles in Transportation Equipment

This major group includes establishments engaged in manufacturing equipment for the transportation of passengers and cargo by land, air, and water.

Study Describes COVID-19 Outbreaks, Mortality Among California Transportation Workers

Between January 2020 and May 2022, COVID-19 mortality among workers in California’s transportation support industry was more than twice as high as in all state industries, according to a new study that appears in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Transportation support involves maintenance and services related to airport cargo and terminals.

CDC: E-Cigarette Use High Among Certain Industries, Occupations

E-cigarette use was highest among workers in the accommodation and food services industry and those in food preparation and serving-related occupations, according to a CDC assessment published in the March 5, 2021, issue of the organization’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). The new report examines the prevalence of electronic cigarette use among U.S. workers using data from the 2017–2018 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) for adults aged 18 years or older who were employed during the week before they were interviewed.

NIOSH Urges Employers to Combat Driver Fatigue

A new page on the NIOSH website focuses on how to prevent driver fatigue on the job. According to the agency, driver fatigue can be caused by being awake for many consecutive hours, not getting enough sleep over multiple days, and monotonous tasks or long periods of inactivity.

IH Heroes Tales from the Field: On the Fly

IH Hero Marcus enjoys racing his drone when an emergency call comes in. A dangerous train derailment threatens a pristine mountain wilderness: can Marcus find a way to use technology to remove the hazard in time?

Accelerating Toward New Hazards: Protecting Workers During the Transition to Electric Vehicles, Jan. 2022

In 2010, too few battery-electric vehicles were purchased in America to be noted in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics report on new vehicle sales. In March 2021, 122,000 hybrid and battery-electric vehicles were sold— a new record high. This rate of growth presents challenges for workers, companies, and the occupational health professionals who work within them.

Wake-Up Call: Toward an Industrial Hygiene Approach to Work-Related Fatigue, Dec. 2021

Fatigue is pervasive and nondiscriminating, potentially affecting any worker at any job in any organization. While fatigue may be a complex construct, there are many tools available to tailor the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of this hazard among different organizations.

Freight Rail Safety

Railroads work with their employees, suppliers and customers, and federal, state and local officials to safeguard the rail network. Association of American Railroads

Freight Railroads Move America Safely Fact Sheet

Railroads’ holistic approach to rail safety focuses on four key areas: infrastructure and equipment investment; training and operational improvement; technology deployment; and community outreach and preparedness. Association of American Railroads

The association between long-term night shift work and metabolic syndrome: a cross-sectional study of male railway workers in southwest China

ResearchGate, June 2022

IH/OEHS Exposure Profiles in Transportation Equipment

This major group includes establishments engaged in manufacturing equipment for transportation of passengers and cargo by land, air, and water.

IH/OEHS Exposure Profiles in Electric, Gas, and Sanitary Services

This market covers all types of passenger and freight transportation all establishments of the United States Postal Service, communication services, and utilities, such as electricity, gas, water, and sanitary services.

Accelerating Toward New Hazards: Protecting Workers During the Transition to Electric Vehicles, Jan. 2022

In 2010, too few battery-electric vehicles were purchased in America to be noted in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics report on new vehicle sales. In March 2021, 122,000 hybrid and battery-electric vehicles were sold— a new record high. This rate of growth presents challenges for workers, companies, and the occupational health professionals who work within them.

NIOSH Evaluates Health Hazards at Train Maintenance Facility, Sept. 2021

A new report (PDF) published by NIOSH describes a health hazard evaluation that the agency conducted at a train maintenance facility in June and July 2019 at the request of a union that operated at the site.

Wake-Up Call: Toward an Industrial Hygiene Approach to Work-Related Fatigue, Dec. 2021

Fatigue is pervasive and nondiscriminating, potentially affecting any worker at any job in any organization. While fatigue may be a complex construct, there are many tools available to tailor the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of this hazard among different organizations.

Emergency Preparedness and Response after Crisis and Catastrophe, Jan. 2019

Responding to crises poses a wide variety of challenges for industrial hygienists. At AIHce EXP 2018, attendees were given a window into three very different crisis response situations and shared their lessons learned.