Data collection and industry connection: RSSB’s safety mission
How we're supporting leaders in their quest to keep Britain moving with safer, smarter rail
Anna PlodowskiSenior Content Editorial Manager, RSSB
Built on a strong foundation of collaboration and knowledge, RSSB works across—and beyond—the industry to provide best-in-class solutions, conduct groundbreaking research, and share expertise matured over decades. This is what allows us to drive continual safety improvements across the GB rail network.
Indeed, over the past 20 years, we have helped develop multiple tools and technologies that are now helping thousands of rail staff in their day-to-day decision-making. And for senior executives in particular, we know it's important to have confidence in the quality and relevance of the full range of services and resources we provide.
A lot of what we offer builds on the robust data we collect from across the industry. For instance, is the Safety Risk Model enables analysis of safety risks using different filers, such as by route, by event type, or by region or nation. This helps decision-makers determine their organisations’ safety priorities and run cost-benefit analyses to meet business goals and legal requirements. While senior executives in any one company may not need all the available filers, the provision of the range of filers enables the tool to be useful for all decision-makers in the industry, whatever their company's location or function.
But in order to use data to inform decisions, we need to encourage and ensure that accurate and timely data is provided by all in industry. Although rhe Safety Management Intelligence System (SMIS), which we manage, is the basis of many analyses, it is only as useful and as accurate as the data that colleagues throughout the industry provide. Encouraging organisations, and all their employees, to share important information relating to safety events on the network is, therefore, a constant message. SMIS is always under improvement to achieve this as well, with one key goal being to make data collection simpler and more accurate.
And when SMIS has collected the data from across the industry, decision-makers can again access that data to answer vital questions to drive far-reaching safety improvements. Take the Precursor Indicator Model, for example. This tool monitors trends in underlying risks that could result in a train accident, allowing companies to look into problem areas before an accident actually takes place.
Running parallel to RSSB’s technology development activities are the industry risk groups we facilitate. Members of these come from not only all sectors within rail but all sorts of different roles and seniorities. For instance, insights from train drivers themselves are vital to improve guidance for completion of SPAD notices. With risk groups for areas as diverse as freight derailment, workforce safety, and asset integrity, RSSB involves all parts of the industry so it can be rigorous when it comes to ensuring safety on the network. With a risk group or subgroup for all the vital areas of safety, and the ability to convene new groups as the need arises, we’re able to identify and spread key safety insights far and wide.
To complement this higher-level work, RSSB also has an eye on how industry’s workforce completes day-to-day tasks in practice. Here we can apply our human factors expertise to different roles within industry, so that the performance of each role, and its interface with other roles, is improved. As the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 points out, employers ‘should ensure so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees’. To better understand how rail organisations are adhering to this, RSSB and the Infrastructure Safety Leadership Group (ISLG) are investigating the discrepancy between ‘work as prescribed or imagined’ and ‘work as done.’ The former describes what managers and process writers think happens, while the latter describes what actually happens in the operational environment.
The differences between these doesn't necessarily indicate poor performance or intentional non-compliance. Instead, it’s likely that current best practices and safety policies are based on an organisation’s understanding of ‘work as prescribed or imagined’ rather than ‘work as done’. Either way, when there’s disconnect here, it can exacerbate or lead to operational safety risks.
For the recent project looking at the underlying causes of objects left on the line, RSSB and the ISLG looked specifically at the processes involved, interviewing and observing trackworkers and their managers. From this human factors work came several new recommendations to reduce the incidences of objects being left on the line and suggestions on how to embed these into existing best practice guidance. This was just a first step; the plan is now to work with other industry groups to continue this work in further operational areas. Our approach here helps everyone. It helps those who actually perform these tasks improve, and it reassures rail executives that the steps being taken to help everyone improve are workable
Recognising how time-pressed rail’s senior executives are, we help them focus their safety efforts in other ways too. Each quarter we publish a short ‘Spotlight on Safety’ video and brief supporting report about the most pressing safety issues. Each 5-minute video takes the form of an informal but informed discussion about topical safety issues that are currently causing the most concern.
Each supporting report is also brief and provides links to relevant resources. For instance, the December 2022 issue of Spotlight on Safety highlighted the existence of multiple sources of uncertainty for rail and the corresponding leadership challenge for rail’s senior executives. To help them, it directed readers to an article from RSSB’s human factors team with recommendations for managers and leaders to encourage rail industry change as well as RSSB’s SPAD Management Guide for Directors.
Meanwhile, April 2023’s Spotlight on Safety asked the question, ‘Who is responsible for maintaining corporate memory?’ The accompanying short report includes a one-page checklist for senior executives about six ways to preserve corporate memory, and how we can help. Methods for preserving corporate memory include document and information management, succession planning, and digital transformation. Similarly, accompanying the discussion of work-related violence in the August 2023 Spotlight on Safety video and report is a two page summary specifically for rail leaders as well as other resources for other members of staff.
Our experts are better placed than anyone in the GB rail industry to provide support on issues of safety on our network. While it’s true that the GB rail system is one of the safest in the world, it’s also true that safety is—and must always be—an ongoing commitment. By working across the industry and sharing key data at as many opportunities as possible, we are helping to maintain the safety of our rail colleagues, passengers, and the public alike.
While it’s true that the GB rail system is one of the safest in the world, it’s also true that safety is—and must always be—an ongoing commitment.
Want to know more?
To learn more about how we support health, safety, and wellbeing in rail, and to access our tools and resources, head to our website.
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