Spaces were set up in strategic locations along highways in Paraná to reduce the risk of drowsiness and fatigue while driving

Paraná, November 29, 2023 – Klabin, Brazil’s largest producer and exporter of packaging paper and sustainable solutions in paper packaging, and Viação Águia Branca, a road passenger transport company belonging to the Águia Branca Group, launched in October a program aimed at driver safety and prevention of accidents.

The initiative, targeted exclusively at truck drivers of Klabin’s forestry operations, includes special itinerant rooms set up in containers and buses at strategic points along the highways in Paraná. These are fully adapted to enable drivers do light physical activities in a controlled-lighting environment, and receive a balanced diet in order to reduce the risk of drowsiness and fatigue while driving.

The spaces offer monitored physical activities, stretching exercises, snacks and special lighting. The mix of bulbs with cold and blue tones and with appropriate wavelengths help reduce melatonin, a hormone that stimulates sleep, keeping truck drivers on alert.

All forestry truck drivers of Klabin who pass through these spaces (in the region of Telêmaco Borba, Ventania and Ponta Grossa) must stop for a break, where they also undergo reaction tests, have their blood pressure and temperature measured, and receive guidelines on the importance of safe driving. 
“For Klabin, the safety and well-being of its employees are non-negotiable values, and so the Company is launching this program as one more initiative to help drivers have a safe trip and return home in peace”, said Darlon Orlamunder, Director of Forestry Operations at Klabin.
Sleep Medicine

A team of specialists led by Dr. Sérgio Barros, an authority on sleep medicine, has developed a protocol based on Viação Águia Branca’s Sleep Medicine Project that is tailored to the specific needs of Klabin.

“Providing tools for employees to work safely is a concern that every responsible company should have and that’s why we have launched a project to keep drivers physically and mentally alert, thus improving the health and operational safety of drivers”, Dr. Barros said.
Klabin contracted the Viação Águia Branca Sleep Medicine Project to complement a series of actions implemented by it over the years. Its fleet has trucks equipped with advanced technological items that complement training and awareness programs offered to its drivers. “For example, the fatigue sensor, which detects when drivers blink longer or yawn more than usual, and the electronic stability program help secure our drivers’ attention. All this is thought for the well-being and safety of not only our employees and service providers and also of the community where we operate”, said Darlon Orlamunder.

Prevention programs such as Sleep Medicine and other awareness actions increase safety on highways. Through this initiative, Klabin expects to encourage other companies to contribute to highway safety.

The importance of the Sleep Medicine Program, which has been part of Viação Águia Branca’s operations for 23 years and covers 100% of the drivers working at Viação, was recognized when it won the Good Practices in Land Transportation award granted by Brazil’s National Passenger Transport Agency (ANTP) in 2014.

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