Bus-Ergonomics Matrix

Bus drivers are key players in sustainability, especially in transport. Their continued employment is therefore important. One of the most common health problems among drivers is musculoskeletal disorders. However, little data exists on the ergonomics of their workstations, making cause-effect studies impossible. To remedy this shortcoming, we have created a Bus Ergonomics Matrix (BERM). The BERM was created in 3 stages: 1) Creation of the measurement protocol based on literature and standards, and creation of ergonomic scores with the help of experts (ergonomists). Ergonomic scores are divided according to body regions: global, visual, biomechanical, shoulder girdles, upper body, back, and lower body. 2) Measurement of 10 buses representative of the evolution of the Swiss bus fleet (November 2021 and May 2023). 3) Modeling and extension of ergonomic scores to the entire Swiss bus fleet using INLA (Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation). Predictors are technical characteristics of the buses. The BERM is an original tool containing 110 bus models and their corresponding ergonomic scores (mean and standard deviation).