Executive summary
Striving for the healthiest, safest and affordable railway in the world.
We are in a period of change. The rail industry needs to continue to work with government to put in place new structures and ways of working. It needs to continue to embrace the opportunities brought by new technology. It needs to operate within the boundaries of affordability. We must be vigilant in assuring the health and safety of those using the rail network and those working on the railway. Our aim is to provide a safe railway for customers, both passenger and freight, meeting performance expectations. Health, safety, and performance go hand in hand.
Building on previous successful strategies, this document sets out the five-year Rail Health and Safety Strategy for the industry. It seeks to deliver the healthiest, safest affordable railway in the world, a vision created by the industry for the industry.
The strategy covers five key risks: public behaviour, health and wellbeing, operations, occupational health and safety, and asset management. Each has been developed based on a solid understanding of risk data and safety intelligence. It has drawn on detailed consultation across the industry.
The result is a set of strategic initiatives set out in road maps. In each case there is a clear intent and proposals to deliver practical outcomes. The areas interlink and it is the implementation of the whole strategy that will shift the safety performance and safety culture in the industry.
We will progress health and wellbeing management to the same level as safety. We will embed practices that manage fatigue risk effectively across the industry. All rail colleagues should have a safer, healthier, and better working environment.
We will continue to address key issues of overspeed, Signals Passed at Danger (SPADs), and overruns. We will improve safety performance and accessibility around our stations and on our trains, so that rail travel is a practical and attractive option for everyone. This in turn supports rail’s sustainability goals, as do actions that support the growth of freight services.
We must have a safe, high performing, and cost-effective asset base. The assets are there to provide value, and that value comes from their ability to support rail services.
Trespass and suicides remain a concern. We must deliver a continuous and sustainable reduction in trespass and suicide events. Level crossing risk needs to be managed systematically. Work related violence must be reduced, so that it is no longer a key risk for the industry.
Four common solutions cut across the risk areas.
We need to share trusted health and safety data that is accurate and complete.
Our people need to be confident and capable to take decisions that protect health and safety and meet wider business objectives.
Front line staff, managers, and leaders need the right skills, mindset, and capability to deliver health and safety improvements.
We need to design, implement, and manage new technology well so we get the benefits without introducing new problems.
A strategy is nothing more than words unless there is resulting action. Governance arrangements through the Rail Health and Safety Executive Advisory Group, System Safety Review Group, and the Rail Wellbeing Alliance are well established. The delivery of the strategy and its effectiveness will be reviewed using a combination of activity monitoring and industry safety performance measures.
The success of the strategy depends on collaboration across the industry. It depends on sharing good quality data. It requires commitment and action. This strategy will move us significantly towards delivery of the healthiest, safest and affordable railway in the world.
The success of the strategy depends on collaboration across the industry.
It depends on sharing good quality data. It requires commitment and action.