A Study on Occupational Stress Among Bus Drivers

International Journal of Modern Research in Engineering & Management (IJMREM)
||Volume|| 1||Issue|| 5 ||Pages|| 33-40 || May 2018|| ISSN: 2581-4540
www.ijmrem.com IJMREM Page 33
A Study on Occupational Stress Among Bus Drivers
1,
Dr. Ashok.J, 2,
Harshini.E
1,
Professor & Director, School of Management Studies, Bannari Amman Institute of
Technology, Sathya Mangalam, India.
2,
Student, School of Management Studies, Bannari Amman Institute of
Technology, Sathya Mangalam, India.
-------------------------------------------------------ABSTRACT---------------------------------------------------
Professional driving is a very demanding task. According to the recent scientific evidence, Bus drivers tend to
report high levels of occupational stress, burnout and occupational traffic accidents. Health has always been
closely linked with occupation. Occupation related stress among working people is drastically increasing
worldwide. Stress at work place has become an integral part of everyday life and is referred as ‘worldwide
epidemic’ by the World Health Organization. This would have impact on the body and discomfort reflected in
various parts of the body bringing about certain health problems. This study is an attempt to analyze the various
factors that lead to stress among bus drivers and to examine the prevalence of health problems.
KEYWORDS: Health, Stress, occupation, health problems.
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Date of Submission: Date, 17 May 2018 Date of Accepted: 22 May 2018
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I. INTRODUCTION
According to Van Wyk, stress is derived from the Latin word ―strictus‖ that translates into taut, meaning stiffly
strung (Olivier and Venter 2003). Stress can be defined in general term as people feel pressures in their own life.
The stress due to work load can be defined as reluctance to come to work and a feeling of constant pressure
associated with general physiological, psychological and behavioral stress symptoms. Hence stress is the harmful
physical and emotional responses that occurs when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities,
resources, or needs the worker and he/she expressed that job stress can lead to poor health and even injury. Stress
is increasing due to globalization and economic crisis, which affects all professions, and as well as families and
societies, almost all countries of the world (Bharati and Newman 1978).
Stress is our body ‘s physical and emotional reaction that frightens, irritate, confuse, endanger, or excite us and
place demands on the body. Stress can be caused by events that are pleasing as well as events that create crisis in
our lives. But stress is a normal part of daily life and the effects of stress are not always negative. In small
quantities, stress is good; it can motivate us and help us to become more productive, but too much stress or a
strong response to stress can be harmful. Stress can arise from any situation or thought that makes one feel
frustrated, angry, or anxious. Everyone sees situations differently and has different coping skills, so, no two
persons will respond exactly the same way to a particular situation. Situations that are considered stress provoking
are known as stressors. Many professionals suggest that there is a difference between what we perceive as positive
stress, and distress as negative stress. But we often use the term stress to describe negative situations. This leads
many people to believe that all stress is bad for us, which is not true actually (Stress and Stress Management
2010). Stress is often coined as a medical term or a psychological phenomenon because of its possibilities in
deteriorating the health condition of a person and the stimulus that triggers the fight or flight response respectively.
Modern time is the age of anxiety and stress which itself will be affected by number of stressors as concluded by
Coleman (1976).
Occupational stress in the workplace can make people dread walking in to the office every morning and then make
them worry about their jobs at night. It has become more globalized and has the tendency to affect all workers
irrespective of the job profile or category, the only difference being the intensity levels. Beehr and Newman (1978)
defined Stress as a situation which forces a person to deviate from its routine functioning due to change in
psychological or physiological condition. When staff is unhappy, they are less efficient, less effective and more
likely to squander work hours or ultimately quit. Stress affects not just morale, but a company's bottom line. The
main area of this study is occupational stress caused to an individual because of the corporate culture in today ‘s
time. As fascinating and alluring it may seem, this package comes with certain cons for most of the people.
Juggling between their work and life to strike that balance, meeting with the high demands of the market, giving
into the competition at workplace to prove their worth et al.

A Study on Occupational Stress Among…
With this and many more struggles which the corporate culture gives in return to what it offers, makes it impossible
to achieve the goal for a few. Stress is not always dreadful, as some people are derived to work much better with
certain amount of stress as it provides them motivation, creativity and mild feeling of euphoria but the concern
lies where too much stress or repeated stress can have negative physical, mental and emotional consequences on
a person ‘s mind and body. Striving to achieve a mark or a goal set is often in the mind of many but by putting
health at stake would mean deriving yourself backwards to accomplish that target as excessive stress can interfere
with the productivity and impact the physical and emotional health. Ability of an individual to deal with it can
mean the difference between success and failure for themselves. A person can ‘t control everything in their work
environment, but that doesn ‘t mean being powerless— even when stuck in a difficult situation. Finding ways to
manage workplace stress isn ‘t about making huge changes or rethinking career ambitions all the time. The bottom
line is, focus on the one thing that’s always within a person ‘s control: Themselves.
OBJECTIVES
➢ To evaluate stress among bus drivers.
➢ To assess the level of influence each factor has on the stress of bus drivers
➢ To understand the impact of working environment on human health.
➢ To examine the prevalence of health problems among bus drivers.
II. PROBLEM STATEMENT
Bus drivers tend to drop dead shortly after they retire. The job of operating public transit vehicles is amongst the
most stressful and unhealthy of modern occupations. They are prone to many stressors and various health
problems. This study is an attempt to assess and report the major job stressors and severe health problems the bus
drivers face.
Review of Literature: Dr. S. Thirumaran& D. Baranitharan says that the transport plays a vital role in the
development of our country. Its main objective is to connect the urban and rural areas. Most of the students and
office goers are using the buses. India ‘s passenger transport for small and medium distances is bus oriented and
many other transport industries the safety of travelers and other road users is of prime importance. The main
objective of this paper is identified and analysis the factors influencing job stress among the transport employees.
Stress is our body's way of responding to any kind of demand. When people feel stressed by something going on
around them, their bodies react by releasing chemicals into the blood. These chemicals give people more energy
and strength which can be a good thing if their stress is caused by physical danger. But this can also be a bad thing
if their stress is in response to something emotional and there is no outlet for this extra energy and strength.
Stresses caused by sleepiness and physical work are known to be the issues among professional drivers as they
compromise it for safe and economic driving. The main factors contributing to driver sleepiness were night time
driving, insufficient sleep prior to shift, long shift duration and high perceived sleep need. A survey was conducted
among 50 professional bus drivers in the study area and quantitative data was developed.
Duffy, C. A., &McGoldrick, A. E ‗s study was carried out to identify potential sources of stress for bus drivers
working for the established operator in a major UK city, six months after the deregulation of bus transport. The
focus was to assess the mental health and job satisfaction of the drivers. An interview programmer was followed
by a questionnaire survey of 376 male bus drivers. Major problem areas related to health and home-related
concerns, problems intrinsic to the job, lack of involvement and support during the organizational changes
occurring and fears regarding physical assault. Existing problems had been intensified as a result of streamlining
and increased competition. The bus drivers were found to demonstrate lower levels of job satisfaction and
unfavorable scores on mental- health indices when compared to normative samples, which was associated with
their work- related stressors. The impact was significantly reduced for those men driving the newer minibuses in
contrast to the traditional 72-seater double-decker buses.
John, L. M., Flin, R., &Mearns, K’s review paper consolidates the key research on the occupational health of
urban bus drivers since the 1950s. Several electronic databases were searched and 27 key studies were identified,
which form the basis of this paper. Early findings that bus drivers are liable to suffer ill health as a result of the
job remain true today. The research has, however, demonstrated a greater understanding that specific stressors
result in certain physical (cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disorders, musculoskeletal problems, fatigue),
psychological (depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder) and behavioural outcomes (substance abuse).
Bus driver ill health will have consequences for organisational performance in terms of employee absence, labor
turnover and accidents.

Stressors for bus drivers include poor cabin ergonomics, rotating shift patterns and inflexible running times. Over
the last few decades, the heightening of other work stressors such as traffic, and violence from passengers have
compounded the situation for bus drivers. Greater attention to salient moderating and mediating variables in the
stressor–strain relationship is featuring in more recent research. Despite such theoretical advances, the research
needs to also concentrate on practical interventions that are systematically implemented and evaluated, to improve
the well-being of bus drivers. By improving this ‗human side ‘of the role, it is expected that the efficiency of this
transport will be enhanced for bus drivers, operators and passengers alike.
House, J. S., &Jackman, M. F. Says that there has been a growing concern with health problems in the United
States, not the least of which is the burgeoning national expenditure on medical care. The failure of accelerating
expenditures in medical care to produce proportionate gains in life expectancy or other indicators of the quality
of health and life has called into question our society ‘s tendency to equate quality of health with quality of medical
care. Although improvements in the quality, cost-effectiveness, and distribution of medical care are important and
necessary, this equation of health with medical care results in vast amounts of money and energy being directed
toward increasingly complex institutions to care for the sick, often at the expense of preventive programs aimed
at maintaining the health of the nonstick.
III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Design: The current research is an exploratory research. Exploratory research, as the name implies,
intends merely to explore the research questions and does not intend to offer final and conclusive solutions to
existing problems. Conducted in order to determine the nature of the problem, exploratory research is not intended
to provide conclusive evidence, but helps us to have a better understanding of the problem. Exploratory research
design does not aim to provide the final and conclusive answers to the research questions, but merely explores the
research topic with varying levels of depth.
Sampling: The current sampling technique used in this study is probability sampling. It is sampling technique,
in which the subjects of the population get an equal opportunity to be selected as a representative sample.
Probability sampling represents a group of sampling techniques that help researchers to select units from a
population that they are interested in studying. Collectively, these units form the sample that the researcher studies.
A core characteristic of probability sampling techniques is that units are selected from the population at random
using probabilistic methods. This enables researchers to make statistical inferences (i.e., generalizations) from the
sample being studied to the population of interest. There are a number of theoretical and practical reasons for
using probability sampling: (a) making statistical inferences; (b) achieving a representative sample; (c)
minimizing sampling bias; (d) selecting units using probabilistic methods; and (e) meeting the criteria for
probability sampling.
Instruments and Measures: The survey instrument of the current study addresses two major purposes, first to
study the influences of various factors towards occupational stress of bus drivers, second to analyses the most
prevalent health disorders among the drivers. 16 factors were studied and 5-point Likert scale was used with 1
being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree. Eight different health disorders were identified and their
prevalence in the past and present were assessed using 3-point scale.
Procedure: The questionnaire was distributed to 154 respondents. They were asked to rate each factor in the
order of their influence and each health disorder in the order of their prevalence. After collecting the completed
questionnaire, these questionnaires were coded and entered into SPSS sheet for further analysis.
Tools of Analysis The primary data collected using the instrument – Questionnaire with 14 research questions
and a open ended feedback questions from 154 respondents. The data are coded in to MS excel and transformed
into the software package SPSS for statistical analysis. The following analysis were carried out
• Factor analysis
• Regression
• Friedman test
• Crosstabs
• Percentage analysis

IV. DATAANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
Factor Analysis: Factor analysis is a useful tool for investigating variable relationships for complex concepts
such as socioeconomic status, dietary patterns, or psychological scales. It allows researchers to investigate
concepts that are not easily measured directly by collapsing a large number of variables into a few interpretable
underlying factors. The key concept of factor analysis is that multiple observed variables have similar patterns
of responses because they are all associated with a latent (i.e. not directly measured) variable. For example,
people may respond similarly to questions about income, education, and occupation, which are all associated
with the latent variable socioeconomic status. In every factor analysis, there are the same numbers of factors
as there are variables. Each factor captures a certain amount of the overall variance in the observed variables,
and the factors are always listed in order of how much variation they explain. The eigen value is a measure
of how much of the variance of the observed variables a factor explains. Any factor with an eigen value ≥1
explains more variance than a single observed variable. So, if the factor for socioeconomic status had an
eigen value of 2.3 it would explain as much variance as 2.3 of the three variables. This factor, which
captures most of the variance in those three variables, could then be used in other analyses. The factors that
explain the least amount of variance are generally discarded. Deciding how many factors are useful to retain will
be the subject of another post
KMO And Bartlett's Test
Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of
Sampling Adequacy.
.711
Bartlett's Test of
Sphericity
Approx. Chi-
Square
280.796
df 105
Sig. .000
Communalities
Initial Extraction
traffic 1.000 .115
work
suggestions
1.000 .517
peak hours 1.000 .382
recognition 1.000 .550
security 1.000 .256
poor
treatment
1.000 .544
sleeping
problems
1.000 .396
lifestyle 1.000 .357
family 1.000 .475
poor health 1.000 .400
routes 1.000 .198
conflicts 1.000 .454
bus
condition
1.000 .290

paid less 1.000 .370
holidays 1.000 .354
Component Matrix
Component
1 2 3
traffic .326 -.053 -.079
work
suggestions
.596 -.166 .366
peak hours .470 .401 -.011
recognition .631 .280 .271
security .372 .053 -.339
poor
treatment
.145 -.533 .488
sleeping
problems
.401 .478 .077
lifestyle -.285 -.088 .517
family .528 -.431 -.099
poor health .626 -.060 -.062
routes .010 .419 .151
conflicts -.383 .327 .448
bus
condition
.439 -.106 -.293
paid less .582 .143 .107
holidays .516 -.112 .275
Rotated Component Matrix
Component
1 2 3
traffic .179 .269 .103
work
suggestions
.674 .114 .223
peak hours .084 .217 .572
recognition .417 .123 .601
security -.004 .477 .168

poor
treatment
.652 -.184 -.290
sleeping
problems
.058 .093 .620
lifestyle .185 -.555 -.122
family .478 .481 -.121
poor health .378 .441 .250
routes -.109 -.191 .387
conflicts -.124 -.641 .168
bus
condition
.143 .514 .076
paid less .353 .245 .431
holidays .542 .125 .212
Factored Components
Component
1 2 3
work suggestions .674
poor treatment .652
holidays .542
lifestyle .185
bus condition .514
family .481
security .477
poor health .441
traffic .269
Interpretation: Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy is .711 which infers the test has good sample
adequacy. The Descriptive Statistics for 15 research questions. Means varies from 2.428 to 3.668 and Standard
Deviation varies from 1.413 to 3.511. The 15 variables are classified into three factors such as: Factor 1:
• Work suggestions
• Poor treatment by passengers
• Difficulty in getting holidays
• Adjusting lifestyle
Factor 2:
• Bus condition
• Difficulty with family
• Lack of job security
• Worrying about poor health
sleeping problems .620
recognition .602
peak hours .572
paid less .431
routes .387
conflicts .168

• Traffic congestion
Factor 3:
• Sleeping problems
• No recognition
• Peak running times
• Paid less
• Learning the routes • Conflicts and quarrels
FINDINGS: Factor analysis has been performed and factor influencing stress are extracted, reduced and placed
into 3 groups for easy understanding.
SUGGESTIONS: Since paid less is a factor that has been identified as the most influencing one, PayScale of bus
drivers has to be satisfactory. • ‗Difficulty in getting holidays ‘is also a factor of high influence, so the drivers
should be provided appropriate holidays whenever needed. • Suitable performance appraisal schemes have to be
devised because the drivers feel that they are recognized for any good work. • Body pain, blood pressure and
diabetes are predominantly occurring among drivers, so sufficient medical care and assistance should be provided
to them. And also, preventive measures should be taught.
V. CONCLUSION
Stress in the workplace has become the black plague of the present era. Stress can make an individual productivity
and constructive when it is identified and well managed. Some of the employees fear with the fact that low quality
of their work puts stress on them. Stress has been identified to be a major problem in the operation of mode of
travel. The transport employees key element in the system is very easily liable to stress in the course of carrying
out his routine responsibility. Stress is an immense problem in modern society, as about half of the occupational
illnesses are directly or indirectly related to it. The study is based on perception of the health problems as
encountered by the respondents. But however, these are probabilities which cannot be denied: that the problems
suffered by the bus drivers and conductors may be attributed to the nature of work they are exposed to and the
associated life-style which is an outcome of their occupation. Stress can be managed by identifying the sources,
recognizing the reactions to the stress and changing the behaviour. Taking stress management classes or
rescheduling the work and personal lives can reduce stress. Having a supportive network of friends, family and
professionals can also be useful in helping to reduce stress.
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