Heatwaves are now a foreseeable occupational risk in transport. Effective prevention must protect workers’ health while preserving operational safety and continuity of service. FICT calls for practical, enforceable and transport-specific measures, with a clear role for operational managers.
FICT considers heatwaves a foreseeable occupational risk. Transport policies must combine worker health, operational safety, resilient infrastructure and continuity of service.
FICT KEY POSITIONS
Anticipate and assess the risk: Heat exposure must be systematically integrated into occupational risk assessments, with preventive measures prepared before high-risk periods.
Use objective triggers and graduated protection: Official weather warnings and heat-stress indices such as WBGT should trigger proportionate measures: fresh water, breaks, shade, cooling, ventilation, reduced physical effort and adapted rotations.
Adapt work without shifting the risk: Schedules and tasks should be adjusted when this truly reduces exposure, without creating additional fatigue, excessive night work or breaches of driving, duty-time and rest rules.
Empower managers and support decisions: Operational managers need clear criteria, training, real-time weather and air-quality information, formal decision chains and digital decision-support tools to anticipate critical situations.
Allow operations to be modified or stopped: Where effective worker protection can no longer be guaranteed, activities must be capable of being modified, postponed or suspended, with appropriate safeguards for workers.
OUR CALL TO ACTION
FICT calls on European and national authorities, employers and social partners to:
- Ensure effective enforcement, training and emergency procedures for workers and managers.
- Organise prevention through social dialogue and transport-specific implementation.
- Integrate wildfire smoke and air quality as aggravating factors where relevant.
- Improve coordination between Member States and exchange of good practices, especially for cross-border transport