Michelle Bester’s doctoral research puts the well-being of train drivers at the heart of railway safety

Every day, train drivers take responsibility for the lives of the people sitting behind them. Their job demands concentration, vigilance and sound judgement, often for long hours, under conditions that can be physically and psychologically demanding.

Michelle Bester’s doctoral research examined an often-overlooked aspect of railway safety. But what happens to the person in the driver’s cab?

That question lies at the heart of Dr Michelle Bester’s doctoral research, which she completed at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in 2026. Her study examined an often-overlooked aspect of railway safety: the psychological well-being of the people responsible for operating trains.

Bester’s research focused on train drivers in Gauteng and explored the pressures they face in an environment with little room for error. These include demanding work schedules, fatigue, heavy workloads, concerns about workplace safety and infrastructure, and the possibility of experiencing traumatic events associated with railway operations.

For Bester, however, these challenges cannot simply be viewed as problems for individual workers to solve on their own. The environment in which people work matters.

Her research found that factors such as leadership, workplace culture, working conditions, the organisation of shifts and workloads, and access to appropriate support can all influence the well-being of railway employees. In other words, keeping a train driver healthy and psychologically fit is not simply a matter of telling the individual to cope better. The workplace itself has a role to play.

This insight became the foundation for the most important outcome of her doctoral research: a practical support programme specifically designed for train drivers.

The programme is built around three interconnected areas – leadership and employee engagement; work organisation and job demands; and health and wellbeing. Together, they provide a framework for identifying risks earlier, supporting employees more effectively and creating healthier working environments. It is an approach that connects two issues that are often discussed separately: employee wellbeing and public safety.

A train driver who is exhausted, under extreme pressure or struggling after a traumatic experience is not only dealing with a personal challenge. In a safety-critical occupation, their wellbeing can have consequences far beyond the individual. That realisation has shaped much of Bester’s professional life.

A registered nurse since 1992, she has worked across clinical nursing in both the public and private sectors, occupational health, management and nursing education. Her experience in the railway sector gave her a particularly close view of the relationship between employee health and operational safety.

As an occupational health practitioner, she was responsible for employee health and wellness programmes, medical surveillance, health risk assessments and other occupational health requirements. Her doctoral research allowed her to take those practical experiences into the academic world and bring the evidence back into practice.

Her career has also taken her into professional leadership. Bester has been an active member of the South African Society of Occupational Health Nursing Practitioners (SASOHN) since 2012, serving in a number of leadership positions, including Pretoria regional Chairperson, national Executive Committee Representative and National Educational Representative. From 2022 to 2024, she served as President of SASOHN.

Her involvement extends beyond South Africa. Since 2019, she has been a member of the International Commission on Occupational Health, where she served as Secretary of its Scientific Committee for Education and Training. In 2022, she completed the International Council of Nurses Global Nursing Leadership Institute programme, strengthening her work in nursing leadership, policy engagement, and the translation of research into practical change.

At TUT’s Adelaide Tambo School of Nursing Science, Bester continues to combine these different strands of her career. She teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students, supervises postgraduate research, contributes to curriculum development, and serves on faculty committees concerned with student success, research, and innovation. She is also a peer reviewer for professional health journals.

Her journey from practising nurse to occupational health specialist, professional leader and researcher has given her a perspective that crosses the traditional boundaries between healthcare and workplace safety.