On this page, you will find information about the progress of the TRAPHEAC study, press articles, and scientific results and communications related to the study.
NEWS
17.10.2024
OVER 600 REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS!
You are over 600 participants, and we have recorded more than 8000 visits to the site since the study’s launch. We warmly thank you for your time and efforts in participating. Together, we are improving knowledge on working conditions in public transport, and the results will benefit health. We are also increasing visibility and spreading reliable information about your profession to the public and policymakers. Your participation matters!
30.09.2024
EXTENSION OF THE 1ST CAMPAIGN UNTIL 31.10.2024
We sincerely thank you for starting to fill out the questionnaire! Your participation is crucial, and we greatly appreciate your efforts. To allow you to finish the questionnaire at your own pace, we are offering you an extra month. You now have until October 31, 2024, to complete the remaining sections. To thank you for your commitment, those who complete the questionnaire by this date will receive a Migros voucher worth CHF 25 for completing the full questionnaire.
01.09.2024
Compensation for Your Participation!
The ethics committee has now authorized us to offer compensation to those who have fully completed the TRAPHEAC study inclusion questionnaire. To thank you for your time and effort, we are pleased to send you this Migros voucher worth CHF 25.-.
IN THE PRESS
29.09.2024 - Article - FR
Bus drivers: health at risk
26.07.2024 - Video - FR
Au volant des bus, du stress à tous les contours.
10.07.2024 - Video - FR/IT/DE
À quel point la mauvaise santé est un problème professionnel ?
SCIENTIFIC RESULTS AND COMMUNICATIONS
26.06.2023 - Article - EN
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Working Conditions and Health of Swiss Bus Drivers
Curious to know how COVID-19 impacted the working conditions of bus drivers in Switzerland? Discover the results of a 2022 survey conducted among 916 unionized bus drivers.
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1. What is the subject of this study?
This study focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on the working conditions and health of bus drivers in Switzerland.
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2. Why was this population chosen?
We know that during the COVID-19 crisis, bus drivers were particularly exposed to the risk of contracting the virus. However, there is still a lack of information on the relationship between this risk and working conditions. This is why we chose to focus on this population. The study uses the same questionnaire as previous research, allowing for a direct link with other data, particularly regarding working conditions.
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3. Why are there so few studies on this topic?
Most studies on COVID-19 have focused on contamination risks and associated factors for the general population or clearly at-risk subgroups (e.g., patients with comorbidities, the elderly). However, few studies have examined the impact of the health crisis on working conditions. During the pandemic, it was more urgent to understand contamination risks than to evaluate the effects of the crisis itself on working conditions.
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4. What is the objective of this study?
The objective is to determine how the COVID-19 crisis has affected the working conditions of bus drivers in Switzerland since the beginning of the pandemic.
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5. How did you conduct this study and obtain your results?
We took advantage of the fact that we had already conducted an online questionnaire in partnership with unions to add specific questions about COVID-19. This was part of a broader questionnaire that examines the health of bus drivers.
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6. What were the findings, and how do you interpret them?
Bus drivers faced a deterioration in their working conditions, such as the accumulation of overtime hours, longer workdays, and last-minute replacements of colleagues. They also reported that their health had worsened due to these poor working conditions. While companies took measures to manage the crisis, the drivers expressed dissatisfaction with how their employers handled the situation. When asked to rate their companies on a scale of 1 to 6, following the Swiss school grading system, the average score was barely a 4.
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7. What conclusions did you draw from this?
Due to staffing shortages in public transport during the pandemic, working conditions deteriorated, impacting employees' health. It is crucial that companies and policymakers, in general, are better prepared to face such crises in the future.
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8. What are the strengths and limitations of this study?
The strengths of the study are that we gathered responses from across Switzerland, allowing us to compare different regions of the country. The subjective questions provided a clear understanding of how individuals felt the crisis impacted them.
However, one limitation is the lack of objective comparative data on their working conditions before and during the pandemic, which would have allowed for more in-depth analyses. As it stands, the study remains descriptive; we cannot be certain that these conclusions are shared by all bus drivers in Switzerland.
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9. Did this study have any impact?
This study helped reveal the impacts associated with the pandemic in the bus transport sector.
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10. What do you see as the next logical step following this study?
We will not continue research on COVID-19, sincerely hoping that the worst is behind us. The next logical step is to continue studying this population to better understand their working conditions and how these can affect their well-being, health, and overall quality of life.
Setting up a cohort study, which would follow the same bus drivers over several years, would allow us to respond more quickly in case of unexpected issues. We would have previous data on the individuals and could compare it with updated data to identify changes and understand their origins. This could even encourage positive changes in the health and job satisfaction of bus drivers.
21.06.2023 - Article
The health of Swiss bus drivers between 2010 and 2022
Want to know how the health of bus drivers has evolved in recent years? Discover the key findings of a study that compares their health status and working conditions between 2010 and 2022.
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1. What is the subject of this study?
This study focuses on the health of bus drivers, their working conditions, and how these have evolved between 2010 and 2022.
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2. Why was this population chosen?
In 2019, during a study on lung cancer across professions in Switzerland, researchers from Unisanté found that bus drivers die more often from this cancer than other professionals. Another study also showed a higher rate of suicide among public transport workers. However, researchers didn’t know why, as there was no information on the working conditions of bus drivers. The few studies conducted in Switzerland on bus drivers either did not or barely described their working conditions and occupational risks, which are key elements to understanding the link with their health.
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3. Why are there so few studies on this topic?
First, it’s important to know that in Switzerland, there are very few scientific studies specific to professional groups. Most research of this type focuses on the general population. Research on workers' health is difficult to fund and conduct; companies are generally reluctant to engage in such research. This explains why existing studies are primarily driven by unions.
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4. What is the objective of this study?
The main objective was to assess the health status of bus drivers by analyzing the responses to an anonymous online questionnaire while gathering more information about their working conditions. We also aimed to analyze the changes in health problems and working conditions among these professionals between 2010 and 2022.
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5. How did you conduct this study and obtain your results?
This study was conducted in collaboration with unions, who distributed the online questionnaire to their members across Switzerland. The SEV (Swiss Transport Workers’ Union) had already carried out this survey in 2010 and 2018. We took it over, adding a few questions about COVID-19 to gather more information, as in 2022, the pandemic had just subsided.
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6. What were the findings, and how do you interpret them?
The findings show that many bus drivers in Switzerland are affected by health problems. They mainly suffer from musculoskeletal disorders, which are the top health issue for this profession. In fact, 77% of the study participants reported having at least one such disorder, the most common being shoulder or neck pain, as well as back pain. Another health issue reported by over half of the participants is abnormal fatigue.
Regarding the evolution of health problems, the study shows that shoulder or neck pain has increased since 2010, as have sleep disorders, accidents, and sick leave.
Finally, regarding working conditions, the majority of respondents feel that they have deteriorated. The most challenging aspects according to them are workdays exceeding 10 hours, the behavior of cyclists on the road, and the lack of access to toilets.
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7. What conclusions did you draw from this?
We observe that for many bus drivers, their health status is unsatisfactory, but we lack information to understand the exact causes. The deterioration of working conditions, which occurs alongside the rise in the proportion of professionals with health problems, suggests a possible link between the two. However, with this type of study—essentially a snapshot of a small group of unionized bus drivers—it is not possible to confirm this link with certainty.
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8. What are the strengths and limitations of this study?
A strength of this study is that it was conducted three times: in 2010, 2018, and 2022. This offers three points of comparison to properly assess the evolution of bus drivers' health and working conditions. However, one limitation of this study is that it is based on a fairly simple questionnaire, relying on subjective responses regarding working conditions and health status. Therefore, it is not possible to establish a clear causal link between the two based on this study.
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9. Did this study have any impact?
This study helped shed light on the health status of bus drivers in Switzerland. Thanks to these results, some public transport companies were able to take measures to improve the situation. This study was an important step toward better understanding and addressing the professional and health challenges faced by bus drivers.
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10. What do you see as the next logical step following this study?
We have scientifically highlighted the issue and made it public through specialized articles. Now, the problem needs to be solved by dissecting its components to fully understand the situation. To do this, it is necessary to deepen this research with a more rigorous methodology. A cohort study, meaning following a group of bus drivers over several years, would allow us to objectively determine how working conditions and their evolution impact health and well-being at work. Cohort studies are complex due to their very strict and regulated protocol, expensive, and difficult to conduct. But they are what allow us to avoid the biases and limitations of simple anonymous surveys. In the field of health and prevention, prospective cohort studies are the required standard.