Companies employing drivers are being warned they need to proactively monitor and risk manage for type 2 diabetes, as those who drive for a living have double the risk of developing the condition.
Moreover, employers with large numbers of drivers need to recognise, and potentially investigate, the prevalence of diabetes as a possible occupational disease rather than simply a health condition, the advocacy group the Diabetes Safety Organisation (DSO) has said.
The warning follows a consultation by DSO with road transport and safety expert and industry leaders. This included bodies such as the Road Haulage Association, Evri, the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme, D4Drivers, and the TransSafe Network.
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DSO has argued that, as well as people who drive having double the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, more than five million people in the UK have the condition and one in four are unaware they have it.
Risks to health and safety can occur when employees on the road are unable to manage their condition effectively while at work. Road transport businesses in particular must be ready to manage these risks, it advised.
For every 1,000 employees, there will be an estimated one to three severe ‘hypos’ (or hypoglycaemia, or low blood sugar) happening in the workplace per month.
Half of all people with the condition experience some form of nerve damage in their feet, which can affect driving accuracy and safety. People with severe damage have three times as many driving incidents, DSO warned.
Complications can lead to early workforce exit and loss of skills. Around 38% employees with diabetes aged 45-64 exit the workforce early because of diabetes complications, the workplace group pointed out.
Moreover, workplace practices may directly contribute to the development of diabetes and/or diabetes complications.
Employees with the condition often act against doctor’s orders on managing the condition to ensure they meet productivity goals at work, it warned.
Furthermore, the presence or contribution of diabetes, or whether people were driving for work, tends not to be recorded in collision data.
Current requirements for medical fitness-to-drive assessments do not mitigate several key diabetes risks: tests are not required until age 45; they do not cover grey (personally owned and non-liveried) fleet; and focus mainly on the hypo risk, DSO pointed out.
Where medical assessments are provided, those most at risk may avoid screening because of known medical conditions and fear of job loss, it warned.
Kate Walker, managing director of DSO, said: “‘Diabetes safe’ driving is achieved when people with diabetes who drive for a living are supported by their employer to manage their condition effectively.
“This improves road safety for all road users and helps people with diabetes avoid health complications that may cause their licence to be revoked and be forced into early exit from the workforce,” Walker added.
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