Watch out!
RSSB’s Marcus Carmichael shares findings from the research we’ve carried out into smart watch use in the driver’s cab.
The problem of mobile device distraction was underlined in the US on 12 September 2008. A commuter train passed a signal at danger and struck a freight in Chatsworth, California. Twenty-five people were killed, including the passenger driver. The driver had sent and received several text messages while on duty that day. The last message was just 22 seconds before the collision. He’d been given warnings about improper mobile phone use in the cab twice before.
After research by RSSB, and following RAIB investigations into a number of more minor GB railway incidents, rail companies developed distinct policies on mobile phone use. But what do we do about smart watches?
In 2020, the answer was ‘not much’. Discussion at the Train Accident Risk Group, however, suggested that the unauthorised presence of mobile smart devices in the driving cab could be a bigger issue than the data was telling us, thanks to under-reporting.
New research into this risk was needed. Enter project T1280 ‘Evaluating the effectiveness of control measures for unauthorised mobile devices in the cab’. This RSSB research project helps operators understand the effectiveness of the industry’s current risk control methods in managing the presence of unauthorised mobile smart devices in the cab, including smart watches.
T1280 found that 76% of company policies include a definition of the mobile smart devices covered by that policy. This definition includes electronic transportable equipment, wearable devices, communications equipment, entertainment devices, and those you can use to take pictures.
Eighty per cent required personal devices to be switched off during safety-critical tasks or when the driving cab is live. Fifteen per cent, meanwhile, allowed personal devices to be turned on silent or airplane mode, or put out of sight, rather than being required to be switched off.
Some policies had specific rules around smart watches, typically requiring disabling bluetooth and wi-fi (or switching to airplane mode). Some have allowed smart watches to be worn, with connectivity restrictions in place. Others have needed them to be switched off and put out of sight.
Many drivers said they would like smart watches to be authorised for use in the cab for health benefits, such as heart rate monitoring. They’d be on airplane mode, on silent, and the vibration mode would be off. But most viewed using mobile devices in-cab as risky and believed they and their peers wouldn’t do it. These drivers clearly understand the risks, but do you?