The lack of professional fleet drivers continues to top the national news agenda, linked to fuel shortages and wider supply chain issues. The shortage has also raised awareness of the broader challenges facing professional drivers.
A recent study in London found that increases in the key air pollutants – PM2.5, NOx and NO2 – are associated with up to 39% increased odds of common mental disorders. Around a third of illnesses at work in the transport and logistics industry are due to mental ill health and professional fleet drivers at higher risk of heart disease, respiratory disease and cancer, due to prolonged exposure to air pollution.
Professional fleet drivers will often spend +50 hours on the road every week, and air pollution in vehicles has been found to be up to 10 times higher inside vehicles than on the road, which impacts alertness, productivity, accident rates, sick days and driver turnover.
It is therefore vital that companies aiming to recruit and retain new drivers place a greater priority on health and wellbeing – and one crucial way of doing that is by improving the air that drivers breathe.
In response, AirLabs has developed what it calls the ‘AirBubbl’, a simple effective solution that removes up to 95% of NO2 inside the car/cab, filters dangerous particulate matter (PM2.5/10) and removes bacteria, viruses and odours, including airborne coronavirus. It also significantly reduces risk of air pollution-related illnesses.
