Workforce health and wellbeing
As an industry, we must provide better support and help our people take care of their own physical and mental wellbeing.
A healthy workforce is vital for the safe and efficient operation of the network, but across the rail sector sickness has been found to be more than twice the national rate [ONS, 2019]. By investing in the health and wellbeing of the workforce, the industry can reduce absences, illness and accidents while fostering a culture of care and commitment.
RSSB has developed a health and wellbeing dashboard which gathers data on health and wellbeing from 19 companies across the rail industry. The dashboard provides the industry with an evidence base of health and wellbeing data which can then be used to prioritise investment. Without this evidence base, investment would be poorly targeted, or the industry may not realise that it has an issue.
According to the Health and Wellbeing Dashboard, musculoskeletal health is one of the top five reasons for sickness in the rail industry. RSSB has created a musculoskeletal hub, collating the resources and knowledge necessary to successfully prevent and manage musculoskeletal disorders.
In addition to understanding the health and wellbeing issues faced by the industry better, RSSB has been working to address and prevent them. This year, we published a healthy cultures framework good practice guide. The framework provides the industry with a consistent industry-wide approach to building a culture of health in an organisation.
The rail workforce is exposed to unique working conditions. Shift patterns, challenging demands and working conditions, and exposure to potentially traumatic events are some of the issues that make the management of mental health in the industry particularly important. To support the workforce, it is vital for companies to take a structured and evidence-based approach to managing mental health.
RSSB has developed the Railway Mental Health Charter (RMHC) to help promote, manage and support workforce mental wellbeing. The RMHC framework provides seven key actions to support companies in preventing and addressing mental ill-health. The framework is free for organisations to use and there is no cost associated with membership.
As we recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic, CIRAS received a smaller proportion of reports relating to health and wellbeing. Nineteen per cent of reports in 2022/23 related to health and wellbeing, down from 35% and 26% in 2020/21 and 2021/22, respectively.