The annual UIMC Congress provides a platform for international exchange of experience, updates on advances in railway medicine through the presentation of scientific papers, and the development of projects and creation of working groups. In Europe, UIMC collaborates closely with the Community of European Railways (CER) with a view to harmonising provisions relating to medical fitness in cross-border traffic for interoperability purposes.
The UIMC therefore invites all UIC member railways whose medical services are not yet represented to cooperate within or with the UIMC. All forms of membership from all continents are welcome, including railway company observer status or membership through umbrella organisations. The UIC contact in Paris is Frédéric Hénon, Head of Operations and Safety.
The next UIMC Congress will be held online on 19 November from 12:00 to 15:00.
The event programme is outlined below:
12:00 Opening by UIMC Chairman Christian Gravert
Session A: Occupational medicine
Plenary chair: Armand Casolin
12:05 Alan Bray (guest speaker from SWIMS Ltd & Hyperbaric Tunnelling and Medical Services Ltd, UK): Modern challenges of tunnelling through water-logged strata
12:25 Marie-Frédérique Laurence (RATP Paris): Process of integrating an exoskeleton and presentation of the tests carried out in the RATP railway maintenance workshop
12:45 Amelie Debatisse, Kirushanthi Sakthithasan, Valérie Jouannique (RATP Paris): Particle and metal exposure in the Parisian subway: results of the pilot study of the ROBOCOP project
13:05 Short break
Session B: Covid-19 and the railways
Plenary chair: Alexandra Hedenetz
13:10 Etso Kasahara (East Japan Railway): Support for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics and EJR’s experience during the pandemic
13:30 Lucie Juhel (RATP Paris): Experience of the Covid-19 pandemic among employees of a public transport company: study of its repercussions for self-reported levels of stress and satisfaction, analysis of work modalities and psychosocial risk factors at work during the first lockdown
13:50 Samantha Phillips (Transport for London): Study of deaths in bus drivers as a result of Covid-19
14:10 Manuela Huetten (BVG Germany): Short review of the results of measurements of aerosol distribution in trams, underground and transport and buses
Session C: Outlook – what’s next?
Plenary chair: Christian Gravert
14:30 Declan Whelan (Irish Rail): Climate change and health – what occupational physicians need to know and do
14:50 Final questions, closing remarks
15:00 End of meeting
