• Job content changes include: an increasing use of new technology – such as remote planning and monitoring tools, on-board computers; the need for knowledge of legislation and languages. On the other hand the work is more monotonous with fewer opportunities for learning when compared to that of the average working population.

• Although they remain in the minority, the participation of women in the sector is increasing, but health and safety action in the transport sector remains male-centred, with difficulties of combining work and family life, high physical workloads and a lack of ‘female-friendly’ facilities.

• The transport workforce, with the exception of air transport, is ageing at a greater rate than the general working population. There is a shortage in labour supply in some subsectors.

• Long-distance travelling may involve exposure to unusual diseases and pests, confinement, abrupt climatic changes, lack of social contact, monotony, being away from home for prolonged periods.

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  Work organisational changes and outsourcing leading to increased workload,
• Lone work,
• Working time issues, shift work and weekend work,
• Increasing long-distance transport,
• Ergonomics and workplace design,
• Climatic conditions.

• Accident risks, incl. fire and explosion risks,
• Exposure to dangerous substances, especially when loading and unloading,
• Risks of falls from vehicles and other transport means.

The specific combination of risks and combination of factors such as ergonomic risks, work organisational stressors, noise, dangerous substances, vibration, unusual working times, working away from home and from a work base, lack of facilities, complex work situation, the need for constant adaptation, and the many structural changes that have occurred in the sector are a particular challenge for monitoring and prevention.

• Working time issues, shift work, irregular working times,

  

• Ergonomic conditions, confined spaces, e.g. for flight attendants,
• Heavy lifting and climatic conditions for luggage handlers,
• Cosmic radiation,
• Time/shift adaptation for long-distance flying, sudden climatic changes,
• Increasing customer demands,
• Time pressure and work organisational issues for air controllers,
• Accident risks, incl. with vehicles and from falls,
• Very loud noise and vibrations.

The specific combination of risks and combination of factors such as ergonomic risks, work organisational stressors, noise, dangerous substances, vibration, unusual working times, working away from home and from a work base, lack of facilities, complex work situation, the need for constant adaptation, and the many structural changes that have occurred in the sector are a particular challenge for monitoring and prevention.

• 

  Addressing migrant and diverse working population,
• Gender segregation into very different jobs and tasks,
• Infectious diseases,
• Confinement and isolation,
• Risks from fumigation gases in container transport,
• Increasing use of inland water transport for goods,
• Applicability of EU and OSH legislation when ships sail under foreign flags,
• Increasing use in the tourism sector, service and administrative professions not regarded as transport jobs.

• Accident risks, incl. fire and explosion risks,
• Exposure to dangerous substances, especially when loading and unloading,
• Risks of falls from vehicles and other transport means

The specific combination of risks and combination of factors such as ergonomic risks, work organisational stressors, noise, dangerous substances, vibration, unusual working times, working away from home and from a work base, lack of facilities, complex work situation, the need for constant adaptation, and the many structural changes that have occurred in the sector are a particular challenge for monitoring and prevention..

• A wider inclusion of accidents involving vehicles, trains and ships would considerably improve possibilities to assess the situation across the EU; if it is true that almost half of fatal accidents are vehicle-bound, then an important proportion of the accidents is omitted in the statistics of some Member States.

• Address accident risks with a wider concept taking into account the multiplicity of factors which interfere.

• Provide better access to infrastructure, rest and break facilities and to OSH prevention services and health surveillance for transport workers. Static work may lead to lack of physical activity and reduced access to healthy food and short rest breaks in inadequate rest facilities may lead to unhealthy eating habits, thereby contributing to the risk of developing cardiovascular health problems and sleep apnea.

• Many transport jobs involve ergonomic and complex work organisational risks. Adapt risk assessment and workplace prevention to cover these risks together and take a holistic approach. Care should also be given to foresee individual adaptability of the equipment or the working environment by workers (for example in service areas of planes or trains, or the work area of professional drivers).

• Provide better reporting procedures for transport workers’ health problems and occupational diseases.

• Provide proper rest and break facilities and access to health care. Health promotion efforts would benefit workers.

• Develop fatigue monitoring tools and fatigue management procedures.

• Set up violence reporting procedures and develop prevention measures and follow-up care in case of incidents. Include wider groups such as the general public and customers in awareness-raising measures.

• The transport workforce is ageing, especially in road and public transport. This needs to be addressed by work organisation, workplace adaptation and training — how to use workers' skills and maintain employability.

• Adapt research, monitoring, prevention and health surveillance to an increasingly diverse working population, addressing the specific needs of women, migrant, and part-time workers.

• Assess the impact of wider transport policies (e.g. addressing climatic change, promoting specific energy uses, or promoting intermodal synergies) on the health and safety of concerned transport workers.

• Mainstream policy approaches addressing working time issues in road transport to other transport subsectors.

• Make use of policies in other areas, such as speed reduction policies in urban transport, to further reduce risks to transport workers.

• Mainstream OSH into transport accident prevention in all subsectors, building on the experiences and knowledge from road safety measures.

• Expand on the use of technological means to monitor and control risks, but also assess how these may negatively impact on the OSH of transport workers.