Road freight transport: fatal work accidents and labor inspection

Abstract Introduction: a large number of fatal work accidents (FWA) occurs in road freight transport (RFT). Drivers’ excessive working hours and inadequate rest are highlighted among the main contributing factors. In Brazil, the Ministry of Labor is the federal authority responsible for inspecting such working conditions. Objectives: to evaluate whether the labor inspection of the RFT sector received attention that was proportional to the magnitude of its fatal occupational injuries indicators and to analyze the verification of drivers’ working and rest hours in the inspections. Methods: quantitative, descriptive and exploratory study using documentary and bibliographical information, and official data of FWA and Federal Labor Inspection from 2008 to 2012. Results: among the 20 activities/occupations with more fatal accidents, the RFT (1430 deaths; 37.97 deaths/ 100,000 employed persons) and the long-distance truck driver occupation (1098 deaths; 55.33 deaths/100,000 employed persons, in 2011) were highlighted. However, the labor inspections carried out in the RTF sector represented 1.4% of the total number of the Federal Labor inspections, and the drivers’ working and rest hours were checked only in half of these actions. Conclusion: it is necessary to increase the number of inspections in the RFT sector whilst the factors that contribute to truck drivers’ FWA must be checked.