Report calls for focus on transportation worker mental health

San Jose, CA — Bolstering mindfulness and emotional intelligence in the transportation industry “will help foster a felt sense of psychological safety among employees, empowering them to perform their roles effectively, efficiently and safely,” a research institute says in a new report.

Researchers from the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University drew their conclusions from a November panel discussion exploring the impact of toxic work environments on safety.

MTI asserts that events such as the March bridge collapse in Baltimore and the February 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, OH, may show the need to rehabilitate infrastructure – both physical and “human.” Researchers point to 2022 findings from the U.S. Surgeon General showing that 76% of workers have experienced at least one symptom of a mental health condition, while 84% indicate conditions at their workplaces have resulted in at least one mental health challenge.

“To attend to this human infrastructure is to attend to the health, well-being and safety of the thousands of employees spread across our national transportation system and – beyond that – of the public at large,” MTI says. “Neglect of this infrastructure can have a serious negative impact on our nation’s safety, security and economic viability.”

The panelists – who included transportation safety experts, mindfulness advocates and researchers – offered suggestions for transportation policymakers and safety leaders. Among them:

• Prioritize the development of workers’ peer-to-peer influencing skills to increase social intelligence and conflict management.
• Provide leaders with emotional intelligence training.
• Integrate mindfulness exercises into day-to-day work practices.
• Encourage team building.
• Promote continuous learning and development to weave psychological safety and emotional intelligence “into the fabric of the organization across time.”

“Even in the short term, toxic work environments and negative emotional contagion can be devastating to mental health, physical health, job performance and safety,” MTI Executive Director Karen Philbrick said in a press release. “Over the long term, they can create a culture of such pervasive toxicity that it may affect public safety and the economic viability of our transportation systems.”