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May/June 2023 issue

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Transport and logistics
News

Taxi drivers exposed to highest levels of diesel fumes, research finds

Open-access content Tuesday 1st October 2019
From the archive:  Just so you know, this article is more than 3 years old.

The researchers recruited 140 professional drivers from a range of occupations working in central London. The drivers were asked to carry black carbon monitors, which were linked with GPS trackers, for 96 hours. The monitors measured exposure levels once every minute. Drivers were also asked about the type of vehicle they drive, their working hours and whether they drive with their windows or air vents open.

The results showed that, on average, professional drivers were exposed to 4.1 micrograms of black carbon per cubic metre of air (μg/m3) while driving, which was around four times higher than their exposure at home (1.1 μg/m3). Researchers say the levels recorded at home are similar to levels experienced by office workers at their desks. Professional drivers also experienced extremely high spikes in exposure to black carbon, often exceeding 100 μg/m3 and lasting as long as half an hour.

During the same period, researchers found that pollution levels at a busy London roadside (Marylebone Road) were 3.1 μg/m3 on average and, away from the roadside, the average level in London was 0.9 μg/m3.

We don't know for sure why taxi drivers fare the worst, but it might be because taxis tend to operate in the busiest and most polluted parts of the city where 'street canyons' restrict the movement of air

Taxi drivers had the highest levels of exposure on average (6.5μg/m3). Emergency services workers had the lowest levels of exposure on average (2.8 μg/m3).

The research, carried out in collaboration with researchers from Queen Mary University of London, was previewed at the European Respiratory Society International Congress on 29 September 2019. The full research findings with guidance and resources will be published in early 2020.

Lead researcher and King's PhD candidate Shanon Lim said: "We know quite a lot about the dangers of exposure to traffic pollution. However, there has been surprisingly little research on levels of professional drivers' exposure to pollution and its effects on their health. We believe there are around a million people working in jobs like these in the UK alone, so this is a widespread and under-appreciated issue.

"We don't know for sure why taxi drivers fare the worst," he added, "but it might be because taxis tend to operate in the busiest and most polluted parts of the city where 'street canyons' restrict the movement of air."

The next steps in this research include investigating possible strategies for protecting drivers, such as the use of air filters. Lim said: "This is vital to help employers, occupational safety and health professionals and individual workers reduce exposure and minimise work-related health risks."

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Image credit: iStock

 Tube drivers to cut speed by half due to ‘noisy’ tracks

Monday 30th September 2019
London Underground drivers have been instructed to drive slowly on four tube lines in an ongoing dispute over the “barrage of noise” created on certain lines.
Open-access content
Image credit: HSE

 Dangerous rebar load lands Liverpool docks owner with £300,000 fine

Thursday 26th September 2019
Port operator The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a banksman was seriously injured when he was crushed by a bundle of steel weighing nearly two tonnes.
Open-access content
Image credit: iStock

 Australia finalises new code to eliminate silicosis

Monday 23rd September 2019
Queensland is to introduce Australia’s first code of practice for the stone benchtop industry.
Open-access content
Bedford Bus Station cc-by-sa/2.0 - © N Chadwick - geograph.org.uk/p/5506946

 Bus co and council fined £650k after woman killed by lorry

Monday 14th October 2019
Bus company Cambus and Bedford Borough Council have been convicted of health and safety breaches after a woman was fatally hit by a lorry at a bus station.
Open-access content
Image credit: web_traffic-warden_iStock-139960986.

 Union launches guide to protect gig economy workers

Friday 13th September 2019
The public service union Unison has published a new guide for its health and safety representatives to explain how the gig economy has affected its members and what support they can provide.
Open-access content
Image credit: web_nz_shutterstock_513260500

 ‘Massive fine’ for dismissive NZ concrete company

Thursday 12th September 2019
A New Zealand court has fined a concrete pump company NZ$500,000 (£260,000) over the “total lack of regard” it showed for its role in the death of an elderly man who fell from his mobility scooter.
Open-access content
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