Sleep problems are related to commuting accidents rather than to workplace accidents.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to verify the relationships between sleep problems and both commuting and workplace accidents in workers of both sexes. METHODS: The study was carried out with a sample of workers (n = 2993; 50.2% female) from the Chilean Quality of Life Survey (ENCAVI) 2015-2016, while the rates of both workplace and commuting accidents were extracted from the statistics of the Superintendence of Social Security (SUSESO 2015; 180,036 and 52,629 lost-time accidents, respectively). RESULTS: Chilean workers sleep less than the rest of the people in the country (MW = 7.14 vs. MO = 7.33; t (6789) = - 5.19; p < .001), while the Chilean people as a whole sleep less compared to those of other countries (7.24 h per day). Likewise, it was found that sleep problems are more strongly related to commuting than to workplace accidents. In this vein, sleep quantity can explain 24% of the variance in commuting accidents' rates (Stepwise Method; R2 = .30, F (1.14) = 5.49, p < .05; ß = -.55, p < .05), by using aggregated data with all types of commuting roles (driver of a vehicle, a passenger of public or private transport, or as a pedestrian). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that sleep quantity has a more robust relationship with commuting than workplace accidents, a neglected issue so far. Future prevention programs should emphasize sleep hygiene and focus on commuting to and from work.