Health, safety and hygiene: minimum requirements for transport activities

Adopting the report by Mr Stephen Hughes (PSE, UK), the Social Affairs Committee wished to specify and supplement the text of the Directive proposed by the Commission on minimum health and safety requirements for transport activities. Through the 40 or so amendments that it had approved, the Social Affairs Committee stressed that by setting minimum standards, the Directive was not intended to replace the international conventions on transport when the provisions of these conventions offered a higher level of protection.. As regards the scope of application, it noted that the Directive 'does not apply to workplaces, temporary or moving sites, mining industries and fishing vessels'; in practice, these fields were covered by other Directives. It also hoped that the Directive would apply to enterprises established in third countries undertaking transport services within the Community and that it would also cover the activity of workers in the passenger transport sector. The Social Affairs Committee hoped that compliance with the minimum requirements would be achieved within a shorter period (two years) than that proposed by the Commission (three years). Other amendments were intended to step up the provisions on workers' medical screening, workers' consultation/participation and representation, the appropriate organisation of daily working hours and the provision of breaks, and the improvement of a set of practical measures such as signposting of emergency exits, creation of separate workplace areas for smokers and non-smokers, etc. �