What about my welfare?
RSSB’s Claire Repeti caught up with a freight driver to find out how the lack of proper welfare facilities impacts drivers’ working lives.
As I make my way into the office, I stop for a latte. I’ve already had two cups of tea before leaving for work. I'm carrying my work bag, which is light as it only contains my laptop and lunch. I don’t have to think about whether I’ve had one-too-many drinks before starting my working day and whether my bag is packed with emergency supplies. After all, if I need to use a toilet en route, there are toilets on the train and in the station—and, when I get off the train, it’s only a 10-minute stroll to my office.
But it’s a completely different story for some passenger and freight drivers. A lot more thought and planning must be done before they start their working day. I caught up with a freight driver to understand what it’s really like to manage personal needs when you can’t just pop to the loo whenever you need to. Check out the box-out, where they describe what they do and offer five tips for drivers.
Tip 1: Check your diagrams to see how long your journey is and where personal needs breaks are scheduled on the diagram. You may choose to try to dehydrate yourself if it’s a long route. Freight driver adds: ‘It’s tough. I cannot think of anything worse than being thirsty and not being able to have a drink.’
Tip 2: Pack your work bag with ‘emergency essentials’. Freight driver adds: ‘This may include tissues, wipe gel, baby wipes, nappy bags, and, for ladies, a Shewee in case you are caught short during your diagram or are unable to access facilities at your scheduled stop location.’
Tip 3: Familiarise yourself with your route, where it’s safe to exit to relieve yourself, and how to shield yourself to protect your privacy. Freight driver adds: ‘Squeezing in between the engine and the first wagon is a clever way to avoid being seen.’
Tip 4: Prepare yourself for not being able to access a toilet. Freight driver adds: ‘Unfortunately, female toilets across the network are still in short supply and are sometimes only accessible with either a key that cannot be located or a keypad code that no one knows. This can leave female drivers feeling like someone else is in control. However, all drivers face this issue, with toilets at times being inaccessible because they are closed or due to security restrictions.’
Tip 5: If it’s not safe to exit your train or you’re unfamiliar with the area, use your emergency essentials.
Male and female freight and passenger drivers alike face challenges with accessing toilet facilities. Add to that, everyone has to contend with their own medical conditions or individual needs such as menstruation, menopause, or frequent urination due to aging. So, all drivers need to be supported.
The industry does recognise that the rail workforce sometimes doesn’t have access to toilet facilities when and where they need them, and that those that are available may not be safe, clean, and accessible. This can impact welfare, wellbeing, and safety.
The Provision of Welfare Facilities project aims to provide freight drivers with regular access to safe, clean, and hygienic welfare facilities. It seeks to overcome barriers to sharing facilities and to produce a best practice document that we hope will be adopted by the industry.
As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the modern railway, let’s commit to making sure our network meets our workers’ most basic needs.