Safety roundup
Risks your safety team should be thinking about
Our three recommendations in November
Fatigue in the taxi sector can directly affect the safety of rail staff. Because taxis play a large part in the work of many rail companies, and because their associated risks don’t always get attention, this risk area tops the list this month.
Climate change and toilet facilities feature too, owing to the possible ramifications of extreme weather conditions and sections of the workforce not being adequately catered for.
Earlier this year, the Road Risk Group highlighted the need for better identification of fatigue and the processes that can be put in place to change the culture around it, particularly in taxi procurement. It’s not uncommon for taxi drivers to be tired, putting rail staff—who sometimes have no option but to use taxis—at risk. GB Railfreight's Peter Brockett discussed this in an article he wrote for us recently. We also have an entire web section to help industry with fatigue and alertness.
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In September, we released the 66th episode in our safety video series RED. It’s on climate change, a much discussed and hotly debated topic across our industry, and the implications that changing weather patterns can have on rail workers. Extremely popular with safety leads and frontline staff alike, RED is valuable viewing, and this latest episode shows how industry is working towards better weather resilience and preparation. It also highlights where there may be gaps. Click below for the trailer and a synopsis.
In the latest ORR annual health and safety report, published in July, HM Chief Inspector of Railways Ian Prosser CBE said the industry must do more to provide adequate toilet facilities for rail staff. His call was echoed by Ed Hodson, Chair of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health’s Railway Group. RED 66 shows the potentially disastrous consequences of poorly managed, or absent, toilet facilities. To help rail companies get their toilet facility requirements right, we’ve produced guidance, research, and cost-benefit information.
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