Abstract

The healthcare sector should reduce its CO2 emissions and support the health of its workforce. A large part of the emissions comes from healthcare workers commuting to work. RIVM has investigated which measures encourage healthcare workers to commute in a more physically active manner - not by car, but by bike, on foot or by public transport. The advantage of these measures is that they not only reduce CO2 emissions, but also improve health.

It turns out that little research has been carried out so far into measures that encourage active commuting among healthcare workers. However, research in other fields shows a number of promising measures, such as making active commuting more financially appealing than commuting by car. This can be done, for example, by reimbursing the costs of active commuting or setting up financially appealing schemes for the lease or purchase of e-bikes. Other potential measures include introducing paid parking and installing parking facilities for bicycles. A combination of measures that reinforce each other is likely to be most effective.

In addition, RIVM conducted interviews with healthcare organisations to discuss their practical experiences with successful measures. An example is the availability of loan bicycles at different locations of a healthcare organisation.

Above all, the investigation shows that active commuting should be made as convenient and appealing as possible. RIVM also recommends examining carefully what fits the healthcare sector and adapting measures accordingly. Among the issues to consider are that healthcare workers work in night shifts, keep irregular working hours and may have to work at multiple locations. Given that active commuting among healthcare workers has not been studied much, it is important to investigate whether the measures are effective in a healthcare setting.

A further recommendation is to involve the entire organisation in active mobility plans, from workers to the Works Council and from the purchasing department to the board. Lastly, it is essential to work together with parties responsible for public transport and cycling infrastructure, such as transport providers, municipalities and provinces.
Although the effects of promising measures may be small at the individual level, they can make a big difference if many organisations take part. That is why it is vital that the entire healthcare sector joins in.