The UIMC Management Committee met on 11 April 2014 in Paris at UIC headquarters. The Management Committee of the UIMC is composed of the Chairman, the Vice-Chairman, the Secretary General, the Treasurer and five persons elected by the General Assembly.
The role of the Management Committee is to:
- Prepare and enforce the decisions of the UIMC General Assembly relating to the scientific activities of the UIMC
- Draw up and execute the budgets, under the supervision of the General Assembly
- Liaise between the various UIC bodies and authorities
- Ensure upkeep of archives and any useful documents.
The Chairman, Dr Voumard, opened the meeting and welcomed the Management Committee members, with the minutes of the last meeting held on 8 October 2013 in Sydney was approved first of all. He reminded participants that on the afternoon of 10 April, the Vice-Chairman, the Secretary General, the Treasurer and himself, met
Thierry Bera, Director of the UIC Finance Department and Firdaous OUTAHR, UIC financial controller. They controlled the accounts and explained the financial situation at 31 December 2013. It has been decided that the UIMC contribution 2014 invoices should be sent by the beginning of June 2014 before the next Congress and General Assembly. A reminder will be sent at the end of August to all members who have not paid their fees. Participation in the congress depends on the payment of UIMC member fees. Dr Voumard especially thanked Thierry Bera and his team for their work and support.
Meryem Belhaj (UIC) informed the Management Committee about the activities of the Safety Platform and especially the Occupational Health and Safety group and Human Factors working group. She also summarised the content of the international workshop on human factors in investigation of accidents/incidents held in Paris from 10 – 11 February 2014.
Peter Gerhardt, UIC Safety Unit Manager, stressed the importance of participating in such international activities. He invited UIMC members to suggest special items connected to Safety, as UIC is investing a great deal in this issue.
Dr. Voumard spoke about the UIMC and ERA relationship and insisted on the importance of this cooperation for the future. He reminded the committee members that Dr Palma, Vice Chairman of the UIMC, and himself were invited to Lille by ERA in 2010. An ERA representative attended the UIMC congress in 2012 and it was clear that they had to continue the collaboration.
Dr Voumard required the participants to express their opinion on the last version of the Vademecum. The group decided to collect comments once more from UIMC members and to organise a working meeting with specific members in Bern on 30 June and 1 July 2014.
Concerning the working groups, Dr Palma explained that through the CER, the UIMC is in connection with EJR (East Japan Railway Company). The Japanese Company requested a partnership on the application on electroencephalographic and psychological examination. In order to answer this request, Dr Palma consulted with DB, SBB AG, ONCF, CFL-Luxembourg, Hungarian Railway, B-Holding, RFI, and SPA.
Dr Gravert reminded participants that the UIMC extranet has been updated and that the members should register to be able to access to it.
Dr Cothereau informed the audience that Public Transportation Company of Berlin asked to become a member of UIMC. This will be confirmed at the next General Assembly
Dr Foss, UIMC treasurer, presented the preliminary financial report of 2013 which was approved by the management committee.
Dr Fònyad from Hungarian Railway Health Care Services presented the programme of the next congress and welcomed all the participants to come to Budapest from 30 September to 3 October 2014.
The UIMC annual congress facilitates contacts between railway medical officers with the aim of exchanging information and medical knowledge through communication of specialist papers on railway medicine, regular inter-disciplinary and international exchange of medical knowledge.
All information is available at the following link:
http://www.kmcongress.com/uimc2014.php
Save the date: UIMC Congress 30 September – 3 October 2014, art’otel Budapest
