Wellbeing in Australia's Logistics and Transport Industry: A Data-Driven Look

The logistics and transport sector encompasses a wide range of occupations, each facing unique challenges when it comes to physical and mental wellbeing.  

The people employed in the logistics and transport industry ensure the efficient movement of goods and people across our vast continent. But while they may share a goal, their physical and mental health concerns are varied. It’s no wonder why. Truck drivers' working lives couldn’t be more different from that of warehouse workers’, which couldn’t be more different from air traffic controllers and so on.

In this article we delve into the data to give you an overall sense of the industry’s current state of wellbeing and highlight the specific challenges facing drivers and pilots – the workers for whom negative wellbeing could potentially have the worst effects.

The overall picture

According to the most recent data from Safe Work Australia, the transport, postal and warehousing industry had the fourth highest rate of work-related injuries and illnesses, tied with construction. In 2020-21, there were 8.8 serious claims per million hours worked in this sector, higher than the all-industry rate of 6.5 claims.

It also had the fourth highest percentage of serious claims made across Australia (7%) and the fourth highest incidence rate per 1,000 employees (15.8).

Road transport workers are more at risk. The same report found they had 9.9 serious claims per million hours (1.1 more than the overall industry rate) and an incidence rate of 19.2 per 1,000 employees (3.4 more).

When it comes to mental health claims, the most recent data from Safe Work Australia says the source of mental stress was mostly likely to come from work related harassment or bullying (30%), exposure to a traumatic event (22%), or work pressure (16%). This was the second highest rate of claims for traumatic events, behind mining (30%).

Improvements, but a flat trend

There has been a total decline in the rate of serious claims when compared to 23 years ago, according to the Safe Work Australia report. In 2000-2001, the number of serious claims per million hours worked was 14.8 for all of transport. While this shows a healthy 38% reduction in the rate, comparisons with more recent years shows a flat trend.

In 2019-20, the rate was 9.1 (slightly above the most recent data) and in 2018-19 it was 8.5 (slightly below).

While the rate of claims has dropped since the year 2000, median time lost has increased (by 112%) as has the median compensation paid (by 293%). As with total claims, these rates are roughly in line with more recent years.

All this means companies can do a lot more to address the issues that eventually lead to compensation claims.  

While the wellbeing issues of office-based workers in the industry are likely similar to those in the professional services industry (see our article on that here), there are numerous crucial occupation categories that are unique to transport and logistics. Perhaps the most prominent, with the most striking wellbeing issues, is drivers and pilots.

Drivers and pilots

Truck drivers

There are a range of common, persistent wellbeing issues in truck drivers, according to research published in BMC Public Health in 2022. It surveyed 1390 truck drivers from across Australia and found:

• The majority “were classified as either overweight (25.2%) or obese (54.3%).”
• Just over a third (34.5%) had diagnosed back problems, and slightly over a quarter (25.8%) had high blood pressure.
• While almost a fifth (19.4%) said they had mental health problems, exactly 50% reported low levels of psychological distress – with 13.3% reported high levels of the same, and 36.7% reported medium levels.
• Short-haul drivers were less likely to be obese or report pain lasting over a year but were more likely to say they had severe psychological distress.

The mental health issues of truck drivers seem to be directly related to business risks. Research published in The Annals of Work Exposures and Health in 2021 sought links between workplace factors and depression and anxiety in Australian truck drivers.  

It found that more hours driving was correlated with an increase in more depressive symptoms and that higher levels of depressive symptoms were in turn correlated with the number of accidents throughout a career.

There are at least two potential compliance issues here: more hours could be deemed a psychosocial hazard and the need to monitor mental health as a physical safety issue.

Bus drivers

In a smaller 2021 study published in PLOS ONE that surveyed 58 Queensland bus drivers, researchers found similar issues to the truck drivers. They discovered poor health behaviours which lead to “a high prevalence of overweight and obesity and a heightened risk of chronic disease.”

The researchers noted a few work factors that contribute to this, such as “shift work, long days, a lack of work amenities and a general disconnect of drivers with their workplace.”

Train drivers

A survey of Australian and New Zealand train drivers published in Scientific Reports in 2022 found that schedule irregularity had the “largest and most consistent negative effects” on various wellbeing measures. A roster that included day, night, and morning shifts was generally worse for drivers.  

A few other things from the study that were worth noting:

• Freight drivers tended to have more irregular schedules than passenger drivers, with over half working day, night, and morning shifts.
• “Approved roster” was nominated as having the most negative impact on the participants’ day-to-day driving performance.

Pilots

Fatigue is a significant issue for pilots, according to a 2022 study published in Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives. The paper looked at and compared the mental health and wellbeing of Australian pilots to their European counterparts.  

It found that our pilots experience similar levels of fatigue as their European counterparts while being more likely to report “more demanding rosters, significantly more sleep problems and lower wellbeing”.  

Over 77% of surveyed Australian pilots reported experiencing severe or high fatigue. The researchers note that this is particularly concerning when you consider that pilots in the study were operating at only 57-62% of their maximum legal duty and flight hours.  

Nearly one in five Australian pilots reported experiencing symptoms of depression and/or anxiety, a figure considerably higher than that of the general population.

Almost a fifth (17.2%) of Australian pilots had significant depression symptoms, while 7% of all pilots said they had significant symptoms of both depression and anxiety.

The research paper discussed previous studies that had found errors related to the above symptoms, including a study that showed two thirds of Australian pilots reported errors, with one fifth saying they “fell asleep on the flight-deck without prior coordination”.

Partnering for better wellbeing

While drivers and pilots’ wellbeing draws the most attention – because errors on their part have a higher potential for catastrophic consequences – the rest of the occupations within the logistics and transport industry have their own issues that need to be addressed if organisations are going to thrive.

At Healthy Business, we understand this. Our tailored, collaborative approach to wellbeing solutions takes into account the specific needs of your diverse workforce, whether they're on the road, in the warehouse, managing operations, or ensuring safety in the air and at sea.

From employee health coaching to offering a suite of psychosocial safety and mental health supports, topical health presentations and ergonomic assessments, we can help your organisation create a healthier, safer, and more productive work environment for all your employees. By investing in the wellbeing of your workers across all roles, you're not just complying with regulations, you're investing in the long-term success of your business.

Find out more about our approach and how you can reinvent wellbeing in our 2024 report on the topic. Or get in touch today to learn how we can help your logistics and transport business thrive through improved worker wellbeing across all occupations.