Work-related road traffic injury: a multilevel systems protocol.
BACKGROUND
Although road traffic injury is reported as the leading cause of work-related death in Australia, it is not clear, due to limitations in previous methods used, just how large a burden it is. Many organisations are unaware of the extent of work-related road traffic injury and, importantly, what can be done to reduce the burden. The proposed research will (i) estimate the prevalence of work-related road traffic injury and (ii) identify the organisational determinants associated with work-related road traffic injury.


METHODS
The current study is designed to enumerate the problem and identify the individual driver-level, the supervisor-level and organisational-level factors associated with work-related road traffic injury. The multilevel systems protocol will involve a series of cross-sectional surveys administered to drivers of fleet vehicles (n=1200), supervisors of the drivers (n=1200) and senior managers (n=300) within the same organisation.


CONCLUSIONS
The novel use of the multilevel systems protocol is critical to be able to accurately assess the specific determinants of driving safety within each context of an organisation.


RESULTS
The results are expected to highlight that reducing injury in the workplace requires more than just individual compliance with safety procedures. It will also establish, for the first time, an occupational translation taskforce to ensure that the research findings are adopted into work-place practice and thereby directly contribute to reductions in work-related road traffic injury.
Accident Research Centre, Monash Injury Research Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Sharon
S
Newnam
Accident Research Centre, Monash Injury Research Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Dianne M
DM
Sheppard
School of Psychology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Mark A
MA
Griffin
Accident Research Centre, Monash Injury Research Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Roderick J
RJ
McClure
Department of Statistics, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Gillian
G
Heller
Monash Centre for Occupational & Environmental Health (MonCOEH), School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Malcolm R
MR
Sim
Accident Research Centre, Monash Injury Research Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Mark R
MR
Stevenson
D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001315:Australia; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D012449:Safety