Anyone who thinks we don't need an ergonomic standard for school employees should try driving a school bus. Even one day behind the wheel would prove eye opening.

Forget the noise of 40 or 50 students--although anyone who hasn't traveled in a full bus lately will find the noise levels incredible, even among well-behaved youngsters--or the constant distractions and downright mischief going on behind your back. Those are on top of the sheer physical challenges of the job. Imagine driving a large, constantly vibrating vehicle for five or six hours a day; manually opening the door up to 100 times a day or more; breathing in diesel fumes; and often struggling with awkwardly designed equipment. It's tough work, to say the least.

Not surprisingly, a new AFT online survey of bus drivers shows that more than 20 percent of them have missed work as a result of work-related pain or discomfort, and one-fourth have been diagnosed with a work-related injury or illness. And those figures might be understated because bus drivers suffer from aches and pains that they might not even realize are related to their working conditions.

The AFT is hoping to help make bus drivers' jobs at least a little less painful through new training the union is conducting as the result of a multi-year grant from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The grant is funding the development of comprehensive health and safety programs for school employees. One initial goal of the project is to create a heightened awareness among bus drivers about why their bodies might be hurting, says Michael Lohman, an AFT health and safety staffer who is helping conduct the driver training.

Even basic ergonomics training for bus drivers is badly needed, the survey indicates. While close to two-thirds of drivers report that they have been trained on safety procedures for blood-borne pathogens (largely because of an existing OSHA regulation), fewer than 10 percent have received any training on ergonomics. When you look at the number of drivers who report various work-related pains and discomfort (see the accompanying charts), there's a huge unfilled need.

The AFT training, which began in August with a group of about 20 bus drivers in New York, covers a variety of topics. In addition to the awareness piece mentioned earlier, it includes some ideas to help aching drivers get immediate relief, such as stretching and exercising before their runs, getting out of the bus to walk and breathe some fresh air during breaks, trying not to leave the bus idling as much in order to limit exposure to headache-inducing diesel fumes, and avoiding exposure to asbestos in brake shoes.

The training also covers longer-term solutions to bus drivers' health and safety concerns. These include everything from useful contract language and OSHA policies and procedures to ways to mount a local action plan to win changes at the bargaining table. In addition, the trainees are encouraged to write letters to bus manufacturers expressing their concerns about bus design and suggesting possible solutions. For example, a remote-powered door can eliminate a lot of elbow and shoulder strain caused by repeated manual opening and closing of doors. Seat design is another area with lots of room for improvement. If enough drivers voice their opinions, Lohman says, bus manufacturers may respond with design changes.

The AFT training is designed to equip the drivers to train colleagues back home in their union and their school district. The drivers are encouraged to attend the AFT training in pairs, which makes it easier for them to go out together and train other drivers. If each pair of drivers conducts 10 training sessions of 10 others, for example, the information can reach 100 more people.

Another advantage to training a large group of drivers together is the opportunity to share their own successes and challenges on the job. In addition to the straightforward ergonomic issues, drivers may have had success in dealing with noise and discipline on the bus, or tips for improving relations with parents, or strategies to get better appreciation in the community for the important but overlooked job they do every day.

The AFT's health and safety grant from OSHA is scheduled to run for five years. In addition to the current focus on bus drivers, the project has already trained a large number of special education paraprofessionals. Future training will target office employees, food service workers, custodial-maintenance staff, school nurses and teachers.