The RSSB Podcast: Recent Episodes
RSSB
Reducing Railway Risk: a series about many aspects of running the GB railway, and how its contributors work to deliver a better, safer railway.
In this episode, we're joined by Tom Lee, our Director of Standards at RSSB.
We discuss specific challenges in safety and satisfaction for customers, how we’re helping industry overcome them, and what a renationalised network might mean for those we serve.
Find out more at: https://www.rssb.co.uk/our-business-plan
With us for this episode is Rachael Everard, our Director of Sustainable Development at RSSB.
We explore some of the sustainability challenges the industry is up against and how we’re planning to help overcome those. We also revisit the Sustainable Rail Blueprint, showcasing some positive member stories from its implementation.
Find out more at: https://www.rssb.co.uk/sustainability/
In this episode, we're joined by Chris Knowles, RSSB's Director of System Safety and Health.
We’ll explore some specific challenges to rail reliability and resilience, why it’s vital to address them, and some of the solutions that RSSB is offering in this space.
Find out more at: https://www.rssb.co.uk/our-business-plan
In this episode, we're joined once again by Johnny Schute, RSSB's Chief Operating Officer.
Together, we'll explore what rail needs to be thinking about in terms of driving cost reduction, some of the complexities around investing today for benefits tomorrow, and how we at RSSB are committed to supporting industry in this challenge.
Find out more at: https://www.rssb.co.uk/our-business-plan
In this episode, we're joined once again by Vaibhav Puri, RSSB's Director of Sector Strategy and Transformation.
Together, we'll explore some of the issues inherent in the adoption and implementation of new technology, our initiatives in this area, and some of the most promising new technological advancements.
Find out more at: https://www.rssb.co.uk/our-business-plan
In this episode, we're joined by Andrea Rossi. Andrea is the CEO of DB Cargo UK and a non-executive director on the RSSB Board.
Together, we'll explore the current rail freight landscape, what the future might hold for the sector, and how RSSB fosters collaboration and innovation to ensure continued safety and growth in this area.
Find out more at: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/freight-safety
In this episode, we're joined by Rich Godwin. Rich is the Chair of industry's Trespass and Suicide Prevention Working Group. He's also a Suicide Prevention Co-ordinator at Network Rail, North West and Central Region.
Optimising safety and satisfaction for passengers is vital for both RSSB and Network Rail. So, today, we're discussing how industry has been coming together to drive down numbers of trespass and suicide incidents.
Find out more at: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/trespass-and-suicide
And have a look at www.railsuicideprevention.co.uk, which is designed to help you make effective and potentially life-saving interventions.
Welcome to our first podcast of 2025! With us today is Stacey Head, our Sustainability Manager. She’ll be speaking with us about some of the initiatives the Sustainable Rail Blueprint has prompted in its first year, how RSSB supports members to embed the Blueprint, and what the future holds for it.
Find out more at https://www.rssb.co.uk/sustainability
In this episode, we're delighted to be joined by Mike Brown, Chair of the RSSB Board.
He's with us for the final episode of 2024 to round up the year the rail industry has had, discuss the changes it might see in 2025 and beyond -- as well as how to navigate them -- and reflect on what the festive season means for many rail workers.
Find out more at https://www.rssb.co.uk
Happy holidays. We'll be back in 2025!
This is the third and final episode in our Rail Industry Road Safety Week miniseries.
This episode, we're joined by Rik Wenham, an investigator in the Commercial Vehicle Unit of the Metropolitan Police. Rik discusses the important processes of responding to and investigating road traffic accidents, covers how the police work with the parties involved, and shares advice on how best to manage occupational road risk.
Content warning: This episode contains mentions of mental ill-health, suicidal ideation, and completing suicide. If you’d like to skip over this discussion, please jump from 02.26 to 04.25.
If you’re affected by this and need support, contact Samaritans on 116 123.
Find out more at https://www.rssb.co.uk/managing-occupational-road-risk
This is the second episode in our Rail Industry Road Safety Week miniseries.
This episode, we're joined by Jamie Mills, a Section Manager at Network Rail. He speaks with us about his experiences of managing an employee who experienced a road traffic accident in the line of work. Jamie discusses what he did in the immediate aftermath to support the employee and what came next to drive down future risk.
Find out more at https://www.rssb.co.uk/managing-occupational-road-risk
This is the first episode in our 2024 Rail Industry Road Safety Week miniseries.
In this episode, we're joined by Dave Whelan, a train manager at GB Railfreight and someone who experienced a work-related road traffic accident. Dave speaks with our host, RSSB's Principal Health and Wellbeing Specialist Joana Faustino, about what led to the accident, his life in the aftermath, and what GBRf has done since.
Find out more here: https://www.rssb.co.uk/managing-occupational-road-risk
This month, we're speaking with Helen Costello, RSSB's Director of Business Management and Performance.
She’ll be speaking with us about the biggest hurdles rail is facing at the moment, some of the solutions that RSSB has developed to help overcome these, and the value they’re generating for industry.
Find out more at https://www.rssb.co.uk/strategic-business-plan-2024-29
This month we're joined by Vaibhav Puri, RSSB's Director of Sector Strategy and Transformation, to speak about the value of industry-wide collaboration for the rail sector.
As well as the benefits, Vaibhav touches on how RSSB facilitates this collaboration, what 'good' looks like, and some challenges and misconceptions. He also discusses the role that collaboration will play in innovation and creating a strong future for rail.
Find out more at https://www.rssb.co.uk/
We're joined this month by Johnny Schute, our Chief Operating Officer. Johnny speaks with us about RSSB's unique whole-system perspective and what that means for the GB rail industry.
He touches on the value it generates, the efficiencies it enables, and how it helps us strive for safety while also ensuring cost reduction, revenue growth, and improved service reliability and resilience for our members.
Find out more at https://www.rssb.co.uk/our-business-plan
This month we're joined today by Marcus Dacre, RSSB’s Head of Risk and Safety Intelligence.
He talks with us about the importance of having good quality health and safety data in the rail industry. Marcus also covers the work that got us to this point, what the future holds, and the improvements we're making to SMIS to aid better data capture. He finishes up with a discussion of some standout stats from our 2024 Annual Health and Safety Report.
Find out more at rssb.co.uk/risk-and-safety-intelligence
Welcome to another episode of the RSSB podcast! This month we're joined by Dougie Hill, who is Chair of the National Freight Safety Group. He talks about the freight landscape in 2024, what it'll take to safely meet the government's rail freight growth target, and what RSSB is working on to make this happen.
Find out more about the NFSG here: www.rssb.co.uk/national-freight-safety-group
Welcome to another episode of the RSSB podcast! This month we're joined by Tracy Orlandi, who is Head of Wellbeing and Occupational Health at East Midlands Railway. She talks about the progress being made in rail employee health and wellbeing, areas where gaps remain, and what it'll take to elevate health to the same level as safety in the rail industry.
Correction at 01.23: The RSSB mental health survey was conducted in 2021.
For more information on the health workshops Tracy mentioned, contact Clare.Forshaw@rssb.co.uk.
This month we're joined by Thom Rawson, RSSB's Sustainable Rail Principal, to talk through the impact the Sustainable Rail Blueprint has had so far. He also covers how we're helping rail organisations embed it, how we're facilitating industry collaboration on sustainability, and what's next.
Find out more at https://www.rssb.co.uk/sustainability/the-sustainable-rail-blueprint
Welcome to another episode of the RSSB podcast! Today, join four members of our Executive Committee — Johnny Schute (Chief Operating Officer), Keith Hanlon-Smith (Chief People Officer), Hannah Kingsley (Chief Finance Officer), and Paul McLaughlin (Chief Commercial Officer) — as they outline industry's current challenges, discuss RSSB's priorities in addressing those, and introduce our new 'strategic multipliers'.
You can find out more about our 2024–2025 Annual Business Plan at: https://www.rssb.co.uk/about-rssb/who-we-are/our-business-plan.
Welcome back to a new season of the RSSB Podcast. In this episode, we’re joined by RSSB Chief Executive Mark Phillips. Mark takes us through our five-year Strategic Business Plan covering 2024–2029, pulling out some of the key priorities along the way. He’s particularly excited to see how rail can leverage some of the technological and digital advancements taking place. Listen now to learn more about what we’re hoping to deliver to industry in the next few years.
Related information
Strategic Business Plan 2024-2029: https://www.rssb.co.uk/about-rssb/who-we-are/strategic-business-plan-2024-29
Rail has been the most environmentally-friendly form of long distance transport for many years, and now needs to reduce its carbon emissions even further. George Davies, director of sustainability at RSSB, and Martin Watt, counsel at global law firm Dentons, discuss the challenges and opportunities of net zero carbon for rail.
The significant trends in safety risk from 2022-2023, and what's being done to keep our railway one of the safest in the world.
01:19 About Robert Sigrist
01:55 The work of the RSSB Risk and Safety Intelligence Team
02:55 The significant safety findings for 2022-2023
04:03 Changes in public behaviour, trespass and sitting on the platform edge
05:09 The trend in signals passed at danger
06:16 Issues around asset integrity, the whole system risk model
07:20 Some safety statistics, summary and close
Related information:
The Annual Health and Safety Report: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/risk-and-safety-intelligence/annual-health-and-safety-report
Are you getting the best value from your assets? Could your asset management approach be improved? In this episode we look at ISO 55001 as a possible framework for better asset management.
00:53 Asset management in today’s economic context
01:59 What to include in an asset management approach
02:15 Which framework to use for asset management
03:23 What’s in ISO 55001
04:25 The what to do, not how to do it
04:48 Understanding the context of your own organisation
05:40 Why a rail organisation would want to adopt ISO 55001
06:40 Selecting the standards that work for your organisation
07:54 Allocating and prioritising the right resources to your plan
09:03 Finding the right (external) resources to implement your plan
10:22 Is this the right thing for your organisation? Do you have the data to answer the question?
11:50 Some examples of the ROI from implementing ISO 55001
12:50 Use ISO 55001 as a tool; it’s not the answer
13:30 Summary and close
You may be interested in
Getting started with ISO 55001 https://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/Asset-Management/Getting-started-with-ISO-55001/
Introducing ISO 55001 Maximizing the value of your assets– PDF download (1.2 MB) https://www.bsigroup.com/LocalFiles/en-GB/iso-55001/resources/ISO-55001-Client-Guide.pdf
ISO 55001 supports UN Sustainable Development Goals 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, and 13. https://www.iso.org/sdgs.html
As RSSB celebrates its 20th year, this episode looks at the work that it has done to help improve safety at level crossing, one of the biggest sources of risk for the railway.
00:57 About Michael Woods
02:00 The Ufton level crossing accident described
03:32 How Michael got RSSB involved
04:56 RSSB directors brief ministers and help secure RSSB’s future independence
05:54 Looking at new technologies to improve level crossing safety
08:37 Reviewing the ideas sent on for safety improvements
11:04 Proposals for rail vehicle and track design improvements
12:29 Improvements in level crossing safety since Ufton
13:30 Close
You may be interested in:
Level Crossings – RSSB web page
https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/level-crossings
Network Rai strategy: Enhancing Level Crossing Safety 2019 – 2029 (PDF download) https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Enhancing-Level-Crossing-Safety-2019-2029.pdf
Level crossings – Network Rail web page
https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/looking-after-the-railway/level-crossings/
Finding the right people to fill vacant roles can be difficult. Steve Womack of Amey Infrastructure Wales talks about how he has found workers with transferable skills. He's also contributing social value to his local area by employing ex-offenders.
Hear about lessons from a steep learning curve and the benefits to be found.
01:41 About Steve Womack
02:31 Getting involved with the Pathway Programme
04:00 Finding the right candidates for the right roles
06:00 The response of staff to working with ex-offenders
07:39 Gareth’s involvement and experience with the programme
08:51 Gareth’s reception at Amey Infrastructure Wales
09:35 Steve talks about the results and the learning from the programme
10:35 Dealing with the transition from prison to release and employment
13:10 What Gareth has learned and gained from the programme
14:50 Steve recommends getting involved in the programme
16:10 About other schemes around the country
16:28 Steve’s offer to talk about his experience with the scheme
18:05 Gareth explains the challenges for programme participants
20:36 Learnings for participants and organisers within the programme
22:25 Using Gareth as a mentor for new participants
25:05 Gareth sums up his experience of the programme
If you'd like to talk to Steve Womack about his experience of the Pathway Programme, please use LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-womack-7471b532/
Transport for Wales Helping Rehabilitate People https://news.tfw.wales/news/transport-for-wales-helping-rehabilitate-people
GOV.UK Guidance on employing prisoners and ex-offenders https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unlock-opportunity-employer-information-pack-and-case-studies
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch does what it says on the tin. It looks at both accidents and incidents to find their underlying causes. No blame is laid, but recommendations for mitigations are made; some of which may be around organisational culture.
Here, two of RAIB’s accident investigators talk about a company’s safety culture, learning opportunities, and how the two work together to deliver an ever safer railway.
00:05 Introduction
01:37 About Tabitha
01:57 About Mark
02:38 Tabitha’s views on the connection between safety culture and learning
05:17 Mark talks about what impact RAIB recommendations might have on company culture
06:55 Tabitha’s adds more on recommendations that address safety culture
08:41 Mark talks about the language in RAIB reports and how it supports a just culture
10:53 Mark talks about difficulties in establishing underlying factors
11:23 Tabitha on RAIB’s guidance for investigating underlying organisational factors
13:48 Mark talks about RAIB’s products that support corporate memory
15:33 Summary and close
Related links
Rail Accident Investigation Branch web page https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/rail-accident-investigation-branch
How to notify RAIB of an accident https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/notifying-us-of-an-accident
The Railways (Accident Investigation and Reporting) Regulations 2005 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1992/contents/made?view=plain
Accident Investigation and Learning RSSB web page https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/learning-from-experience/accident-investigation-and-learning
RSSB Accident Investigation Training https://www.rssb.co.uk/services-and-resources/training/accident-investigation-training
This is the first in a series on specific health conditions. In this episode, recorded in Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, an RSSB employee talks with one of our health and wellbeing specialists about his experience of diagnosis, and the support received during treatment.
00:43 About Deb Archibald
01:04 About Tavid Dobson and discovering his cancer
02:05 Tavid talks about his treatment options
02:30 Making sense and making decisions
03:34 The impact and support at work
04:31 The support mechanisms that worked for Tavid
05:37 How to respond and support
07:14 On men, talking about having cancer
08:27 Deb closes with talking to colleagues and where to find more information
You may also be interested in:
Prostate Cancer UK
NHS UK prostate cancer
Prostate cancer information - Cancer Research UK
Macmillan Cancer Support - Prostate cancer
Macmillan Prostate Cancer Forum
Colds, flu, and other respiratory illnesses always increase over the winter period. That list now includes Covid-19, which is still with us. So, how can we best protect ourselves from it and the others in the coming weeks and months? Claire Shooter, our Public Health Manager, explains what we can expect and do to stay as healthy as possible.
00.44 Claire explains when and why there are peaks in respiratory illnesses.
01.57 Why we know less about the current Covid situation.
02.54 What a rise in infections might mean for rail.
03.30 About Long Covid, its symptoms and how to manage it.
04.58 What we know about Long Covid.
07.00 If you think you may be suffering from Long Covid…
08.30 How RSSB can help you deal with Covid and any other public health issues.
08.51 Where to find accurate sources of information.
09.17 About the GB Rail Pandemic Playbook
10.56 Explaining the structure of the Pandemic Playbook.
11.57 Why you won’t need to read the whole document.
12.58 Summary and close
You may be interested in:
The GB Rail Pandemic Playbook https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/key-industry-topics/health-and-wellbeing/public-health/pandemic-preparedness
HSE Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Advice for workplaces https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/
Society for Occupational Health Return to work guidance for recovering workers https://www.som.org.uk/covid-19-return-work-guide-recovering-workers
Acas: Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for employers and employees https://www.acas.org.uk/coronavirus
Public Health Note: Covid-19 in Winter 2022-2023 https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/blogs/public-health-note-covid-19-in-winter-2022
Vaccinating to Protect Against Covid-19 https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/blogs/vaccinating-to-protect-against-covid-19
Covid-19 support https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/the-coronavirus-pandemic-how-we-can-help-you
Workforce Wellbeing [during the pandemic] https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/the-coronavirus-pandemic-how-we-can-help-you/workforce-wellbeing
Distinguishing reliable sources for public health https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/blogs/distinguishing-reliable-sources-for-public-health
Standards are talked about very often within rail, so this podcast provides an introductory overview. It describes what standards are, when rail started using standards, what the different types of standards abbreviations mean, how standards development is triggered, and where to find out more.
00:37 Introducing Tom Lee, Director of Standards at RSSB
01:47 Brief definition of standards
03:17 When rail first started using standards, and why
06:18 The organisations that produce standards relevant for rail, and the main standards abbreviations
11:31 The areas that standards cover
13:46 What causes a standard to be developed or revised, and the processes involved
20:20 How to find out more
21:40 Close
The railway is a very complex system. RSSB has developed tools for the industry to assess and target some hazards, but not all of them. Much of our risk analysis knowledge is based on the Safety Risk Model (SRM), now in version 9. One response to some identifiable hazards is to impose a blanket speed restriction. These can cover wide areas, and may themselves actually increase some types of risk.
Being able to identify specific parts of the network that may be susceptible to increased risk under certain environmental conditions can help. Building on the knowledge within the SRM, RSSB has, with Network Rail, started to develop the Whole System Risk Model (WSRM). Prompted by the Carmont incident, it’s a project that will take some time, but it has to start somewhere.
03:00 About Marcus Dacre
03:30 Risk modelling work at RSSB
03:59 Modelling earthworks failures in the Precursor Indicator Model
05:12 RSSB’s involvement in responding to the RAIB recommendations to the Carmont incident
06:10 About the SRM
06:53 About Vincent Ganthy
07:34 Vincent’s focus on overall risk created by extreme rainfall events
09:00 Differences between the SRM and the WSRM
10:15 Establishing the level of network vulnerability
11:41 How the WSRM supports operational decision making
13:11 Current limitations and its potential for wider development
14:22 What we've found about the risk from speed restrictions
15:26 How to use the findings to respond to extreme rainfall events
16:11 Current testing and proving of the model
17:20 What’s next, the roadmap to extend the model
You may also be interested in:
How the Whole System Risk Model stops rail overcompensating for extreme weather events (RSSB web page 22 December 2022) https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/blogs/how-the-whole-system-risk-model-stops-rail-overcompensating-for-extreme-weather-events
Research project: Development of a system risk model for extreme rainfall events (T1269) https://www.rssb.co.uk/research-catalogue/CatalogueItem/T1269
Safety Risk Model: Improving safety and reducing costs https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/risk-and-safety-intelligence/safety-risk-model/safety-risk-model-improving-safety-and-reducing-costs
Structures and Earthworks Rules Changes (RSSB web page 6 March 2021) https://www.rssb.co.uk/standards/using-standards/structures-and-earthworks-rules-changes
Case Study: Risk from soil cutting failures (RSSB web page 24 November 2022) https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/key-industry-topics/data-insights/earthworks-data-insights/case-study-risk-from-soil-cutting-failures
Any practices described in this podcast shall not be assumed to be risk free. The Rail Safety and Standards Board and other participants in this recording shall not be held liable for actions taken by third parties that lead to loss or injury. Any practices described should, specifically, not be followed in the United States of America or Canada.
Achieving net zero carbon by 2050 will need more electrification of the GB railway. This episode looks at new and updated standards that don’t just make the requirements easier to understand. They also have the potential to deliver cost savings of well over £27m over five years. So, if you design OLE or AC-powered trains, you’ll want to listen to this episode.
01:24 About Mike Tatton
02:14 How standards are changed
03:43 Drivers of change for electrification standards
05:33 Who will be using these standards
06:42 What’s changed in GLRT1210, issue 3
12:03 What’s new in RIS-1853-ENE
13:43 The new energy standards summarised
14:29 About Darren Fitzgerald
15:05 Key changes to the rolling stock RGS and the new RIS
16:21 New vehicle bonding requirements
17:25 Change to the cant rail warning line requirement
18:38 Main benefits from changes to these standards
19:45 Potential financial benefits from the changes
21:00 Summary and close
Resources mentioned in this episode:
December 2022 webinar recording
https://rssb.videomarketingplatform.co/video/81831824/10:57/ac-current-collection-standards
Register for the extended webinar at 11.00, 20 February 2023
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ac-standards-rolling-stock-and-electrification-registration-477392863907?ReturnUrl=https%3a%2f%2fwww.rssb.co.uk%2fservices-and-resources%2fservices%2fevents-and-webinars
GLRT1210, AC Energy Subsystem and Interfaces to Rolling Stock Subsystem, issue 3
https://www.rssb.co.uk/standards-catalogue/CatalogueItem/glrt1210-iss-3
RIS-1853-ENE, AC Energy Subsystem and Interfaces to Rolling Stock Subsystem, issue 1
https://www.rssb.co.uk/standards-catalogue/CatalogueItem/ris-1853-ene-iss-1
RGS-2111, Rolling Stock Subsystem and Interfaces to AC Energy Subsystem, issue 3
https://www.rssb.co.uk/standards-catalogue/CatalogueItem/gmrt2111-iss-3
RIS-2715-RST, Rolling Stock Subsystem and Interfaces to AC Energy Subsystem, issue 1
https://www.rssb.co.uk/standards-catalogue/CatalogueItem/ris-2715-rst-iss-1
Overspeeding isn’t just an issue when driving trains. It happens on the roads as well. With nearly 10,000 road vehicles in its fleet Network Rail took steps to put numbers to it, and the findings were alarming. Hear what’s being done to tackle the problem and the outcomes so far.
00.48 About Simon Morgan
04.04 A definition for and consequences of road overspeeding.
05.15 The proportion of incidents that have overspeeding as a cause.
05. 56 What other causal factors contribute to overspeeding beyond individual choice.
06.05 Underlying culture of risk perception and the amount of overspeeding.
07.17 The potential fuel cost savings from cutting overspeeding
07.39 Tackling fatigue as a causal factor.
08.22 Removing pressure to ‘get the job done’.
09.49 The condition of vehicles
10.10 Summary and close
You may be interested in:
Network Rail Safety Central, Driving Safety page: https://safety.networkrail.co.uk/safety/driving-safety/
Network Rail’s Ten Lifesaving Rules: https://safety.networkrail.co.uk/safety/safety-vision-and-lifesaving-rules/lifesaving-rules/
Network Rail’s Lifesaving Rules Driving video (1:11) (contains strong language): https://safety.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/LSR-Driving-Subtitles-MP4-2.mp4
Good decision making needs to support of good data. So, in this episode you can hear about the work that goes into assuring data quality, and the people behind it.
00:46 Introducing Siona Vass
01:43 About data quality and why it’s important
03:29 How RSSB measures data quality
04:26 Industry’s involvement in improving data quality
06:15 Continuous improvement and when data quality is ‘good enough’
07:26 How RSSB monitors data that might be missing or under-reported
08:51 The role for leaders in supporting data quality
10:16 What would happen if we didn’t manage data quality
11:23 The biggest contributors to data quality
12:15 Summary and close
You may also be interested in:
Data Quality Programme https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/risk-and-safety-intelligence/safety-management-intelligence-system/smis-data-quality
SMIS in Context: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/risk-and-safety-intelligence/safety-management-intelligence-system/smis-in-context
Improving SMIS: Usability, Performance, Business Intelligence https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/risk-and-safety-intelligence/safety-management-intelligence-system/improving-smis-usability-performance-business-intelligence
Strategy for SMIS https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/risk-and-safety-intelligence/safety-management-intelligence-system/strategy-for-smis
SMIS Support https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/risk-and-safety-intelligence/safety-management-intelligence-system/smis-support
Learning from the past to inform the future of SMIS https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/blogs/learning-from-the-past-to-inform-the-future-of-smis
SMIS is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2022. Hear something of its history, its reason for being, and what it has done for our industry. How SMIS supports risk modelling and safety decision making.
00:48 Introducing Kevin Thompson
01:16 The origins of SMIS after the 1988 Clapham rail crash
02:39 How SMIS functionality and technology have developed
03:34 The components that make up SMIS today
05:26 How SMIS supports RSSB’s work
06:36 How SMIS helps rail companies
07:08 How RSSB supports SMIS users
08:36 The value that SMIS delivers to risk modelling and decision making
09:53 Close
You may also be interested in:
The Safety Management Intelligence System https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/risk-and-safety-intelligence/safety-management-intelligence-system
SMIS in context https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/risk-and-safety-intelligence/safety-management-intelligence-system/smis-in-context
Strategy for SMIS https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/risk-and-safety-intelligence/safety-management-intelligence-system/strategy-for-smis
Improving SMIS: Usability, Performance, Business Intelligence https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/risk-and-safety-intelligence/safety-management-intelligence-system/improving-smis-usability-performance-business-intelligence
The Safety Risk Model https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/risk-and-safety-intelligence/safety-risk-model
An Overview of The Precursor Indicator Model https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/improving-safety-health-and-wellbeing/rail-risk-toolkit/pim/an-overview-of-the-precursor-indicator-model
Good information makes for good, evidence-based, safety critical decisions. Much of that information comes from data in the railway’s Safety Management Intelligence System, SMIS. This podcast looks at what’s being done and planned to make it easier and more efficient to use.
01:34 A bit about Paul Murray
01:58 About SMIS and how it is used
02:56 Why we continually improve and simplify SMIS
03:36 Less data, but more effective
04:18 Who’s been involved in the SMIS programme
04:57 Update releases and their benefits
06:07 Faster, easier data input
06:50 Automatic data transfer is coming
07:20 Systems that can connect to SMIS
07:55 Industry data requirements and data matching
08:39 If you’d like to explore the API route…
08:59 The importance of SMIS to the railway of the future
09:35 More SMIS episodes to follow
You may also be interested in:
The Safety Management Intelligence System https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/risk-and-safety-intelligence/safety-management-intelligence-system
SMIS in context https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/risk-and-safety-intelligence/safety-management-intelligence-system/smis-in-context
Strategy for SMIS https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/risk-and-safety-intelligence/safety-management-intelligence-system/strategy-for-smis
Improving SMIS: Usability, Performance, Business Intelligence https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/risk-and-safety-intelligence/safety-management-intelligence-system/improving-smis-usability-performance-business-intelligence
The Safety Risk Model https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/risk-and-safety-intelligence/safety-risk-model
An Overview of The Precursor Indicator Model https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/improving-safety-health-and-wellbeing/rail-risk-toolkit/pim/an-overview-of-the-precursor-indicator-model
Assets are everywhere. They are the things, physical and digital, that make up the systems we work with. When they work as designed and planned, to meet their objectives, the people who manage them go un-noticed. But these are the people who keep the risk of using them as low as reasonably practicable.
00:56 Chris Knowles, an introduction
02:07 Asset integrity and why it’s important
03:42 The whole lifecycle of asset management
06:54 The asset management is needed to keep risks as low as reasonably practicable
07:58 The criticality of system design
09:01 Asset decisions beyond safety
12:05 What’s coming up in this asset integrity series
14:13 Summary and close
You may also be interested in:
When Software Goes Wrong podcasts: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/rssb-podcast-series/when-software-goes-wrong
When Software Goes Wrong - Digital Asset Integrity on the Railway – blog from the first in that podcast series, with links to other blogs and resources: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/blogs/digital-asset-integrity-one-path-to-reducing-railway-risk
The Asset Integrity Group’s web page: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/groups-and-committees/safety/system-safety-risk-group/asset-integrity-group
Rolling Stock Asset Integrity web page: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/rolling-stock-asset-integrity
Infrastructure Asset Integrity web page: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/infrastructure-asset-integrity
Red 62 video – Asset Integrity (RSSB members and Affiliates only): https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/learning-from-experience/red-safety-videos/red-62-asset-integrity
Safety Culture is everybody's business. In the first of a new series Ellie Burrows, Chair of the System Safety Risk Group, talks about the role of leaders in embedding safety culture. She describes the need for a fair culture and how that works to support safety learning.
01:43 Ellie Burrows, an introduction
02:20 What Safety Culture means to Ellie
03:54 Ellie’s role in leading and supporting the development of Safety Culture
04:56 The essential tasks for leaders of Safety Culture
06:07 Traits and characteristics for leaders of Safety Culture
07:39 The need for fair culture to build trust
08:39 The need for good understanding of fair culture and human factors
10:01 How fair culture works
11:35 The actions, policies, and practices that demonstrate a fair culture
13:05 Summary and close
You may also be interested in:
Leading Health and Safety on Britain’s Railway
Developing a Fair Culture – RSSB Training
Supporting a fair culture - creating appropriate plans after incidents – RSSB research project (T1068)
Fair Culture Investigations – Network Rail Safety Central web page
RSSB’s work with BowTie risk analysis has made it easy to visualise operational hazards, their precursors and mitigations. At LNER they’re applying the method in a novel way, to develop a corporate risk register. To identify the hazards faced in running a train operating company.
01:29 Introducing Ian Baulch-Jones
02:55 Ian recaps risk analysis and how BowTie analysis works
04:58 What LNER is doing with BowTie analysis
06:30 Why BowTie analysis?
08:08 Has anybody done this before?
08:54 The benefits envisaged in using the Bowtie Method.
09:56 How long is this all going to take?
11:41 Where LNER’s project sits within ORR’s RM3
13:34 How this BowTie diagram differs from an operational hazard diagram
15:27 LNER’s experience so far…
16:27 Close
You may be interested in:
Rail Industry BowTie Analysis: A Good Practice Guide
RSSB BowTie Risk Model Library
The RSSB BowTie Hub
Other related resources:
Wolters Kluwer: CGE Risk Webpage
CGE Risk (YouTube video) The BowTie Method in 5 Minutes
UK Civil Aviation Authority - Where did BowTie come from?
UK Civil Aviation Authority - Introduction to BowTie
Not just a certificate for the wall, but a seven step guide for how to support your employees and colleagues towards better mental health.
00:00 A little bit about mental health at work
01:47 Meet Faye Bacon
02:14 About the Railway Mental Health Charter
02:42 How the Charter helps companies support mental health
03:28 Action 1, the importance of senior leaders’ support
04:45 Action 3, increasing awareness around mental health
05:26 Action 6, effective people management for mental health
06:06 Action 4, creating an effective peer-to-peer support system
06:22 Action 7, signposting mental health support resources
06:51 Action 2, using company data to highlight needs
07:16 Action 5, getting the right policies in place
07:44 The Charter is only a starting point for planning
09:31 Support for new Charter signatories
10:18 Reasons for supporting mental health, legal and financial
11:34 Who has, and who we’d like to sign the Charter
12:39 Some benefits of signing the Charter
14:05 Where to find more information
The Railway Mental Health Charter – RSSB web page https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/key-industry-topics/health-and-wellbeing/mental-wellbeing/railway-mental-health-charter-rmhc
Only when we investigate can we understand. Incidents while driving for work can have fatal or life-changing results, so we need to investigate to find ways to stop incidents repeating. Here’s what’s needed for an effective investigation.
01:58 About Gill Milner, RTC investigator
02:55 Gill offers a definition of an RTC
03:40 Why start your investigation in the Golden Hour
04:45 The five stages of the investigation
05:37 How to debrief a driver
07:35 How the driver may have added to the causes
09:18 How the job design may have added to the causes
11:20 How the organisation may have added to the causes
12:12 Build a timeline for the incident
14:04 What to do when a serious incident happens
16:34 Investigation complete, what are the safety learnings?
You may be interested in:
Transport Research Laboratory publication: MIS058 Study on good practices for reducing road safety risks caused by road user distractions https://www.trl.co.uk/publications/mis058-study-on-good-practices-for-reducing-road-safety-risks-caused-by-road-user-distractions
TRL publication: Smartphone use while driving: a simulator study https://www.trl.co.uk/publications/ppr592
TRL publication: Investigating driver distraction: the effects of video and static advertising https://www.trl.co.uk/publications/ppr409
TRL publication: Drivers attitudes to distraction and other motorists’ behaviour A focus group and observational study https://www.trl.co.uk/publications/ppr435
TRL publication: The relationship between driver fatigue and rules limiting hours of driving and work https://www.trl.co.uk/publications/ppr413-a
Any practices described in this podcast shall not be assumed to be risk free. The Rail Safety and Standards Board and other participants in this recording shall not be held liable for actions taken by third-parties that lead to loss or injury. Any practices described should, specifically, not be followed in the United States of America or Canada.
On the railway the state of the track that trains run on is vital to the safety of passengers and crew. It needs to be monitored and maintained regularly. But in the late 1990s that wasn’t always happening. And in October 2000, that led to a derailment that caused 4 deaths and injured over 70 more.
00:37 What happened at Hatfield
02:18 What causes rails to break
03:30 What led to the accident
05:40 Was it caused by incompetence or misfortune?
08:18 The trend in broken rails at the time
10:08 The improvements made since the accident
11:35 Summary and close
These may be of interest:
Asset Integrity – Lessons from Hatfield: blog by George Bearfield, Chair of the Asset Integrity Group.
Remembering Hatfield – 20 years on: blog by RSSB CEO, Mark Phillips.
About the Asset Integrity Group
Corporate memory - how to keep learning: article in which Greg Morse explains how RSSB keeps the lessons of the past alive for both present and future.
If road traffic collisions cause as many as half of the fatalities to our workforce, why aren’t they RIDDOR reportable? Fortunately, few collisions have fatal results. But that means close calls and near misses must be investigated seriously, to prevent the next incident, that may be more serious.
When a collision happens: Who is responsible? Was the driver competent? Was the vehicle safe? What policies do you have in place to answer these questions? And if the worst should happen, do you have the right cover in place to protect yourself, your drivers, and your company’s brand reputation?
00:42 About Charlotte LeMaire
01:00 About Andrew Drewary
01:44 Andrew’s view on why incidents on the road aren’t viewed in the same way as those in the workplace.
03:12 The Health and Safety Executive’s increasing interest in incidents while road driving.
04:03 Do we keep our road driving competency and skills up to date?
06:10 What rules do and perhaps should apply to all who drive for work?
07:00 Driving your own vehicle actually loads greater responsibility.
07:30 What makes a good driver?
08:14 What are the consequences of a road traffic ‘accident’?
09:25 Good drivers are made by good managers.
10:35 The precursors to a police-attended collision. Have you got the right policies in place?
11:54 Have you controlled all the risk you can control?
12:45 Why investigate incidents as well as collisions?
14:52 Road risk is a serious matter. Are your investigations up to scratch and objective?
16:32 The consequences of the four-line investigation report.
18:29 The benefits of outsourcing investigations. Protecting the brand.
19:47 Do your company and your drivers have immediate legal representation?
21:28 What are you drivers legally required to do at the scene of a police-attended collision?
22:41 Why have processes to give your drivers legal advice, and the knock-on benefits.
23:52 The differences between 24/7 legal roadside assistance and a 24/7 insurance reporting line.
26:35 How legal privilege helps and protects drivers and companies.
30:55 Summary and close
These may also be of interest:
Our podcast on the HSE guidance on Driving and riding safely for work https://www.buzzsprout.com/925129/10302467
The HSE guidance on Driving and riding safely for work https://www.hse.gov.uk/roadsafety/
The Road Risk Group webinar with Andrew’s videos of driving that leads to a collision:
Fair culture work on RSSB website:
Supporting a fair culture - creating appropriate plans after incidents (research project) https://www.rssb.co.uk/research-catalogue/CatalogueItem/T1068
Supporting a Fair Culture: Creating Appropriate Plans After Incidents https://www.rssb.co.uk/-/media/Project/RSSB/RssbWebsite/Documents/Affiliate/Affiliate-content/Improving-Safety-and-Health/nts-supporting-a-fair-culture-cop-guidance.pdf
Developing a Fair Culture (RSSB training course) https://www.rssb.co.uk/services-and-resources/training/developing-a-fair-culture
Learning from… previous experience is vital. But unless we keep and communicate what we learn, the memory is lost. As Right Track magazine celebrates its 10th anniversary, we look at why and what it delivers for those who work at the front line on the railway.
00:48 Why Right Track was created
01:25 How Right Track set out to stand out from the crowd
02:23 Some of the ‘firsts’ that Right Track brought to safety learning
03:26 The trends that Right Track has followed… and the issues it tackles
04:44 How Right Track will continue to keep itself relevant and broad-based
06:13 How Right Track sits alongside and supports Leading Health and Safety on Britain’s Railway
07:05 Summary and close
Give us your thoughts and ideas—on this or any other episode: podcasts@rssb.co.uk
You may also be interested in:
Podcast episode 38: Learning from…the Potters Bar accident https://www.buzzsprout.com/925129/10611287
Podcast episode 30: Learning from…the Clapham accident https://www.buzzsprout.com/925129/10042758
Greg’s blog for Right Track issue 38 https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/blogs/right-track-38
Greg’s blog for Right Track issue 36 https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/blogs/read-right-track-36
Greg’s blog for Right Track issue 35 https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/blogs/read-right-track-35
Ali Chegini’s blog ‘Remembering Great Heck, 20 years on https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/blogs/remembering-great-heck-20-years-on
We can learn a lot from accidents. As we try to avoid history repeating itself, Greg Morse looks back at the Potters Bar accident of 20 years ago. What went wrong? What have we learned?
00:36 What happened at Potters Bar.
02:28 The errors that led to the accident
04:19 The blurred edges of maintenance programmes
05:38 How we now respond to safety reports, including from the public
08:08 Summary and close
You may find these of interest:
Learning from… - the Clapham accident podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/925129/10042758
Managing Safety Related Reports from Members of the Public https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/guidance-and-good-practice/safety-related-customer-contacts
Understanding current practice for identifying and managing safety-related reports from members of the public (Research project: OTH-SRC) https://www.rssb.co.uk/research-catalogue/CatalogueItem/OTH-SRC
The Asset Integrity Group https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/groups-and-committees/safety/system-safety-risk-group/asset-integrity-group
Rolling Stock Asset Integrity (RSSB members and affiliates only) https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/rolling-stock-asset-integrity
Infrastructure Asset Integrity (RSSB members and affiliates only) https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/infrastructure-asset-integrity
Red 62 - Asset Integrity (RSSB members and affiliates only) https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/learning-from-experience/red-safety-videos/red-62-asset-integrity
As it has accounted for as many as half of our workforce fatalities, road driving is an important area for risk management. Both as employers and contractors of services, rail organisations have a duty of care to those who work for them.
Part of the Road Risk Group’s strategy for reducing road driving risk is to implement the National Highways programme Driving for Better Business (DfBB). And that includes extending participation in the programme to your supply chain. To support that aim, Anne-Marie Penny, Senior Road Safety Policy Adviser, talks about how National Highways has gone about it.
01:05 Why National Highways chose to embed DfBB into its supply chain.
02:19 What National Highways looks for in its supplier companies
04:05 The National Highways experience
04:34 For more information…
05:49 Summary
These resources may help you:
Driving for Better Business Free Risk Assessment: https://www.drivingforbetterbusiness.com/free-risk-assessment/
Driving for Better Business Rail Sector Gateway https://www.drivingforbetterbusiness.com/rail-sector/
Occupational Road Risk Management (web page with links to related industry groups) https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/occupational-road-risk-management
Small talk does save lives, as Dom Mottram found out when it saved his life. Now a project manager at Network Rail, he talks about how someone helped him with small talk, and how he now pays that back.
00:04 Introduction
01:27 A bit about Dom
02:00 Samaritans work with the rail industry in the last year
04:05 The 2021 Small Talk Saves Lives campaign—how the rail industry benefits and supports it
05:35 Dom describes how small talk saved his life, and why he supports the Managing Suicidal Contacts training
07:35 The importance of starting a small talk conversation, and five tips for managing it
09:33 How everybody in the railway environment can spot something out of the ordinary and start small talk, wherever you work
10:37 Dom describes a chance intervention, triggered by his curiosity as he keeps an eye out for things that are out of the ordinary, whether on duty or not
11:50 Samaritans contact information
Samaritans contact details:
Samaritans phone number: 116 123
Samaritans email contact: jo@samaritans.org
Samaritans Small Talk Saves Lives campaign webpage: https://www.samaritans.org/support-us/campaign/small-talk-saves-lives/
If you'd like to get involved with the campaign or take the Managing Suicidal Contacts training, email railcompanies@samaritans.org
These might also be of interest:Could you help save a life? RSSB podcast, episode 8: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/rssb-podcasts/rssb-podcast-library
RSSB Suicide Prevention web pages: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/improving-safety-health-and-wellbeing/suicide-prevention
Rail Suicide Prevention website: https://railsuicideprevention.co.uk/
RSSB Mental Wellbeing webpages: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/key-industry-topics/health-and-wellbeing/mental-wellbeing
Leading Health and Safety on Britain's Railway Public Behaviour section: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/public-behaviour
Christmas is a time for many to celebrate with family and friends. But for others it can be a time of isolation and despair. It's a time when Samaritans can be called on to shed some light in a dark place, or we can make an intervention with someone for whom small talk could save their life. When you could be that Christmas Star.
In this episode we hear from two people: one who works for Samaritans to help the rail industry, and one from the rail industry who works to help Samaritans.
00:04 Christmas is a busy time for Samaritans as many suffer despair and loneliness.
01:16 What does a Samaritans Regional Development Lead do?
02:13 Join in the 'Samaritans Christmas Star' campaign, or nominate your own star.
03:20 How a train guard chose to support the 'Samarathon' fund raiser.
07:35 Bessie tells why she chose to support Samaritans, and what she did to raise funds.
10:30 Samaritans work at Christmas, how many people call, and why.
12:03 Contact information for Samaritans and its Christmas Star campaign.
- Samaritans phone number: 116 123
- Samaritans email contact: jo@samaritans.org
- Samaritans Christmas Star campaign page: https://www.samaritans.org/support-us/fundraising-appeals/search-christmas/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1PWHqcDg9AIVibh3Ch36vgm8EAAYASAAEgJWDfD_BwE
- Samaritans Small Talk Saves Lives campaign webpage: https://www.samaritans.org/support-us/campaign/small-talk-saves-lives/
- If you'd like to get involved with the campaign or take the Managing Suicidal Contacts training, email railcompanies@samaritans.org
- Could you help save a life? RSSB podcast, episode 8: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/rssb-podcasts/rssb-podcast-library
- Could you help save another life? RSSB at the Front Line, episode 6: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/rssb-podcasts/rssb-at-the-front-line
- RSSB Suicide Prevention web pages: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/improving-safety-health-and-wellbeing/suicide-prevention
- Rail Suicide Prevention website: https://railsuicideprevention.co.uk/
- RSSB Mental Wellbeing webpages: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/key-industry-topics/health-and-wellbeing/mental-wellbeing
- Leading Health and Safety on Britain's Railway Public Behaviour section: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/public-behaviour
This episode was originally published to the RSSB at the Front Line stream in June 2021. It features Nick Millington, Director of the Safety Task Force at Network Rail. He talks about recent accidents on the mainline railway, and what the task force is doing to reduce open line working. We talk about the removal of lookouts, night shift working and fatigue, what more possessions will mean for signaller workload, and the aspiration for more effective work planning.
01:02 About Nick and his role in the railway.
02:27 Numbers of near misses, track worker fatalities, and open line working.
04:30 Equipment and technologies to replace lookouts.
08:07 Removing the lookout competence, new roles, and better protection.
10:20 Signaller workload, better planning, and collaboration for safe systems of work.
13:00 Increased night shifts, wellbeing and fatigue; and more efficient work planning.
16:38 Future plans, integrated signal-controlled protection and warning systems, and the search for innovations.
Resources related to this episode:
Nick Millington's video report on LinkedIn of his May 2021 visit to North West and Central regions to talk health and safety with those on the front line
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nick-millington-817335a8_networkrail-safetytaskforce-trackworkersafety-ugcPost-6804666611174273024-FQwS
Network Rail Front Line Focus episode 96
https://network-rail.wistia.com/medias/tsakiypg9t
Infrastructure Safety Leadership Group
https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/groups-and-committees/safety/ssrg/islg
Leading Health and Safety on Britain's Railway—Workforce Safety web page
https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/workforce-safety
Do you, or your employees, drive or ride a vehicle for work? The HSE's guidance on Driving and riding safely for work tells you what you need to know to comply with current legislation.
Nicola Jaynes, HM Inspector of Health and Safety, talks about what the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does, and about its most recent, update to guidance for those who employ people to drive or ride for work, and for those who do the driving and riding.
About Nicola Jaynes and the risks involved in driving and riding for work [01:28]
About the HSE, as inspector, regulator, guide, advisor, and sometimes prosecutor [03:20]
About the new guidance, which is now available on an easily updateable microsite [05:38]
The new content differs from previous guidance, here's what's available [06:53]
What you need to know as a user of a 2-wheeled vehicle [09:02]
About drivers' health and wellbeing and fatigue [09:52]
Collecting data about road traffic incidents [11:24]
Driving when self-employed, in the gig economy, and in the grey fleet [11:59]
Close [13:05]
You may find these useful:
Driving and riding safely for work (HSE microsite): https://www.hse.gov.uk/roadsafety/
Occupational Road Risk Management (RSSB web page): https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/occupational-road-risk-management
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/37/contents
Driving for Better Business Rail Sector gateway: https://www.drivingforbetterbusiness.com/rail-sector/
THINK! Road safety campaigns: https://www.think.gov.uk/
The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSE site): https://www.hse.gov.uk/legislation/hswa.htm
A guide to workplace transport safety (INDG382) (the 2014 edition): https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg136.htm
Checking that freight vehicles are safe to go onto the rail network is not an easy task. It's work that's often done in difficult conditions, and the consequences of mistakes can be costly. The role of ground staff in freight depots and yards has changed dramatically over recent years. The conditions in which they work, in freight depots and yards where they carry out their vital and often challenging work, need to be improved.
Dave Ethell and Devon Johnson, Operational Risk Manager at Freightliner Group, talk about the work they are doing to assure the condition of freight vehicles that go onto the rail network.
01:53 About Devon.
02:34 About Dave.
04:07 About the Condition of Freight Vehicles on the Network (CFVN) Working Group.
05:39 How the freight sector has engaged, and the various stakeholders collaborate.
06:42 The CFVN project's strategic activities, and two core workstreams.
08:28 How the train preparation and loading workstream has been structured. Survey responses from freight ground staff as they engage in the project.
10:33 Open and honest ground staff describe situations and propose solutions.
11:29 Some of the specific themes that came out.
13:58 Training for ground staff roles. Better non-technical skills and working facilities. Two quick wins.
16:40 What the CFVN Working Group will do with the data.
18:16 Hopes for the project—reducing delays, standardising preparation and loading procedures.
These resources may be of interest:
Leading Health and Safety on Britain's Railway – freight derailment chapter https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/freight-derailment
Annual Health and Safety Report 2020-21 https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/risk-and-safety-intelligence/safety-performance-reports
RAIB: Summary of learning – 5. Freight train derailments (see Section 3.2) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summary-of-learning-5-freight-train-derailments/summary-of-learning-5-freight-train-derailments
In this episode we talk about lone working, and how it can affect health, wellbeing and personal safety. I talk with Joana Faustino, Senior Work Psychologist at RSSB, and Rachel Rowlinson, Associate Director at Britain Thinks, who has a special interest in health matters in the rail industry.
01:56 About Rachel and her role in the railway.
02:34 Who and what was involved in the research.
03:14 Guidance for lone workers and their managers, and just who is a lone worker.
04:55 How many people just might be lone workers?
05:35 How Covid-19 has influenced the number of lone worker roles.
05:54 Are you a lone worker if you work from home?
06:40 What makes you a lone worker?
07:25 The down side of lone working.
08:12 Things about lone working that can affect health, wellbeing, and safety.
09:17 What organisations can do to better support lone workers.
10:19 What lone workers can do to support their own wellbeing—some top tips.
11:22 Top tips from the guidance for physical health and safety.
12:35 The Lone Worker's Wellbeing Action Plan—what keeps lone workers happy and healthy at work, and what causes stress or anxiety
13:31 Sources of support available to lone workers.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
RSSB webpage: Keeping Lone Workers Safe and Secure. This page has links to all three of the guidance documents talked about in this episode.
https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/key-industry-topics/health-and-wellbeing/healthy-cultures/keeping-lone-workers-safe-and-secure
Related resources:
T1213 Understanding the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Risks and Impacts of Lone Working in Rail—Project Report
https://www.rssb.co.uk/research-catalogue/CatalogueItem/T1213
Contact a Samaritan
https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/ or call 116 123.
Fortunately, multiple fatality rail accidents in Britain are rare. But only by learning from the past can we reduce risk in the future. Learning and remembering are vital. Even the lessons from a major accident, like that near Clapham Junction in 1988, can all too soon be forgotten.
In this episode we look at the Clapham accident, some of its causes, and how well we have, or haven't, learned from it. Good corporate memory—and incident reporting—as you'll hear, are vital to making our railways a safe place to work and travel.
01:22 A bit about Greg Morse.
02:28 Describing the Clapham accident.
03:15 The causes behind the accident.
04:11 How mistakes came to be made.
04:49 How fatigue is managed today.
05:31 Organisational complacency.
06:18 Clapham's lessons relevant today.
08:00 Looking at the whole system.
09:24 About future episodes.
09:58 Close.
Give us your thoughts and ideas—on this or any other episode: podcasts@rssb.co.uk
You may also be interested in:
Making Sure Clapham's Lessons Aren't Hidden (RSSB web article by Greg Morse on the 30th anniversary of the accident.)
Remembering Clapham (Michael Woods recalls the day as he was working for a division of BR at the time.)
The Hidden Report (PDF download, 8MB)
RAIB's report on the Cardiff signalling irregularities (PDF download, 3MB)
RAIB's report on the Waterloo collision (PDF download, 2.5MB)
Would you like to offer your freight customers a more flexible and efficient service? Many freight routes are booked months in advance, but not always used. Or perhaps you need a detour, either to deliver for a customer or because your route is blocked.
The hurdles in the way of Very Short-Term Planning can delay approvals until it's too late. This is where the Path Planner tool comes in. In this episode Maggie Simpson, Director General of the Rail Freight Group and Martin Gleadow of 3Squared talk about the importance of rail freight and one way to increase capacity.
01:51 Introducing Maggie Simpson.
02:37 A bit about Martin Gleadow.
03:16 How important is the rail freight sector to the UK economy?
04:42 The carbon benefits of moving freight from road to rail.
05:55 How freight planning works today.
08:03 How a responsive planning process could help customers.
10:00 Developing the Path Planner tool.
10:58 How Path Planner works.
14:04 What's next for Path Planner.
15:02 Rail Freight Group's view of this and other R&D.
16:02 Close.
16:42 ENDS
More about the Dynamic Freight Capacity Management project:
https://www.rssb.co.uk/research-catalogue/CatalogueItem/I01-CLR-04
Give us your thoughts and ideas—on this or any other episode: podcasts@rssb.co.uk
HS2 is set to cost the taxpayer £96 billion – 71% more than the 2015 estimate. Is cutting the journey time from London to Birmingham by 30 minutes really worth all that money? According to Ben Rule, Infrastructure Management Director at HS2, the high-speed railway line is an invaluable investment, which will bring much wider benefits to Great Britain and its railways.
00:40 A bit about Ben
01:57 Response to critics: HS2 isn’t an overpriced project that just slightly cuts journey times
02:56 It’ll do so much more, including improving connectivity
04:15 Then there’s the role it’ll have in reducing the country’s carbon footprint
06:52 Let’s not forget the economic and social benefits: freight, employment, business opportunities
08:44 While many may not agree, this couldn’t have been achieved with our existing network
These might be of interest:
HS2 home page: https://www.hs2.org.uk/
HS2 Phase One plan and profile maps: London to the West Midlands: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hs2-plan-and-profile-maps-between-london-and-the-west-midlands
How can you share your data outputs without revealling how you found them? The Functional Mock-up Interface (FMI) protects commercially sensitive and valuable intellectual property, while generating richer answers. In this episode David Golightly and Ken Pierce from Newcastle University talk about the tool, which is creating opportunities for rail.
01:30 About David.
02:02 About Ken.
03:00 The FMI and how it works.
06:14 How you can share your data outputs without revealling how you found them .
08:43 FMI and RSSB's work on decarbonisation.
11:54 How FMI could be applied to operational performance and infrastructure construction.
13:50 How the automotive industry uses FMI to test OEM components before being ordered, manufactured and shipped.
17:51 Opportunities for FMI to benefit the rail industry.
19:44 FMI in human performance modelling that could predict railway system performance.
21:14 How FMI could support the vision for Great British Railways.
23:38 How FMI can support the Williams-Shapps plan for delivering systems solutions.
Resources related to this episode:
Introduction to FMI by Hubertus Tummescheit, CEO Modelon Inc (23 mins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfludIklmJg
The FMI standard: https://fmi-standard.org/
List of 150 modelling and simulation tools that already support FMI:
https://fmi-standard.org/tools/
In this episode Dave Hatfield and Simon Rodgers talk about the work they are doing to improve the lot of passengers. A pilot project to deliver and respond to real-time data about the environmental conditions inside train carriages. Ultimately, they want to predict issues up to 24 hours before they happen and take remedial action to prevent or minimise them.
01:31 About Simon and the work his company does with technology.
02:14 About Dave and his railway career.
02:49 The Internet of Things and what it can do to improve passenger experience.
04:06 How the Internet of Things could improve train services.
05:27 How in-carriage data is being transmitted and used 24 hours a day, and how it will be used to forecast issues 24 to 48 hours ahead of them happening.
07:29 The benefits for Grand Central Railway—pre-emptive maintenance and fewer trains unexpectedly out of service.
08:11 What can be measured, used, and deliver better operations and cost savings.
Resources related to this episode:
LTE-M, or LTE Cat M1, is a wide area network that uses radio technology for communication. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE-M
What is LTE-M? a blog by Link Labs https://www.link-labs.com/blog/what-is-lte-m
LTE-M connectivity optimized for IoT: from Thales. https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/markets/digital-identity-and-security/iot/resources/innovation-technology/lte-m
In this episode Patrick Allinson, Operations Control Manager at Great Western Railway, talks about his experience of the G-FORCE Tool. Used in the GWR control centre for nearly 12 months, Patrick talks about his experience and some of the incidents when G-FORCE has been used to speed decision making.
01:39 About Patrick.
02:30 How decision making is handled.
03:49 Who has used the tool and who could use G-FORCE in future.
05:12 When and how G-FORCE might be used, and when it should not, with some examples .
09:10 Why Patrick feels the industry needs G-FORCE and the benefits that it can bring.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
G-FORCE: A Model to Improve Decision-Making Capability https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/improving-safety-health-and-wellbeing/understanding-human-factors/operational-decision-making/gforce-a-model-to-improve-decision-making-capability
Related resources:
You can find all the G-FORCE-related resources from this RSSB web page: https://www.rssb.co.uk/search#search-results_e=0&search-results_q=G-Force
In this episode George Davies, Director of Sustainable Development at RSSB, talks about the collaborative work done, and to be done, to deliver the Sustainable Rail Strategy. Both as a document and as a living set of ambitions and actions to achieve a sustainable world.
01:51 Determining the Sustainable Rail Strategy, the need for clear ambitions, and flagship industry goals.
05:26 The technology leadership needed to implement solutions and and achieve targets.
08:42 How communications, engagement, and collaboration are essential to achieve sustainability goals.
11:56 The importance of groups such as community rail programmes for local success; and the DfT for guidance.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Great British Railways: The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/great-british-railways-williams-shapps-plan-for-rail
Rail Environment Policy Statement: On Track for a Cleaner, Greener Railway: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-sustainability-on-the-railway-stating-our-priorities
Decarbonising Transport: A Better, Greener Britain: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transport-decarbonisation-plan
Related resources:
Transport decarbonisation plan: tackling climate change – oral statement to Parliament (transcript): https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/transport-decarbonisation-plan-tackling-climate-change
Transport decarbonisation plan (speech transcript): https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/transport-decarbonisation-plan
Decarbonising UK transport: final report and technology roadmaps: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/decarbonising-uk-transport-technology-roadmaps
In this episode Chris Lewis, Health, Safety, Security and Environment Change Business Partner at East Midlands Railway, talks about the Driving for Better Business Gap Analysis Tool. We hear how he has used it, its simplicity and strengths, his lessons learned from using it, and how outputs from the tool have helped prioritise actions and widen thinking in planning and decision making.
00:54 About Chris and work for the railway.
01:51 Chris's role as the road risk lead at EMR.
02:59 Working with RSSB and the Driving for Better Business programme—the Gap Analysis Tool, its simplicity and strengths.
04:07 Lessons learned from using the rail-specific, offline Gap Analysis Tool.
05:42 How outputs from the tool help prioritise actions and consider areas that may not otherwise have been included.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Driving for Better Business Gap Analysis Tool: https://www.drivingforbetterbusiness.com/getting-started/
Euro NCAP— The European New Car Assessment Programme: https://www.euroncap.com/en
Leading Health and Safety on Britain's Railway: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway
Leading Health and Safety on Britain's Railway—Occupational Road Risk Management page: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/occupational-road-risk-management
Related resources:
Rail industry Road Risk Group web page: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/groups-and-committees/safety/ssrg/rrg
Other podcasts in the Road Driving for Safer Railway series: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/rssb-podcasts/road-driving-for-a-safer-railway
In this episode Ben Gilmartin talks about the BowTie Method of risk analysis: its history, and his experience of using it. About RSSB's work to broaden understanding of risk by using the method, and to develop BowTie analyses for all the risk areas included in Leading Health and Safety on Britain's Railway.
01:35 About Ben.
02:34 Why and when RSSB started to look at the BowTie Method as a means of risk analysis.
04:31 How the BowTie model works, its simplicity and strengths.
07:18 When the BowTie Method is particularly applicable, and when it may not be.
08:00 Some specific examples of when a BowTie model might be particularly helpful.
09:21 When the BowTie Method is the right method to use.
10:52 Where the rail industry is already using BowTie analysis.
11:43 Some recently completed BowTie analayses, some in train, and future plans for the industry.
12:28 How to choose the right style of BowTie analysis—high-level overview or a detailed quantitative analysis.
13:15 Who to involve in a BowTie Model risk analysis in different situations.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Rail Industry BowTie Analysis: A Good Practice Guide
- RSSB BowTie Risk Model Library
- The RSSB BowTie Hub
- Leading Health and Safety on Britain's Railway
Related resources:
- Wolters Kluwer: CGE Risk Webpage
- CGE Risk (YouTube video) The BowTie Method in 5 Minutes
- UK Civil Aviation Authority - Where did BowTie come from?
- UK Civil Aviation Authority - Introduction to BowTie
In this episode Simon Turner, Campaign Manager for Driving for Better Business (DfBB), talks about what DfBB aims to do to help reduce road accidents, injuries and deaths. One of the tools DfBB has produced is a Gap Analysis Tool. Simon talks about what it can do to help rail industry companies to identify whether they are meeting legal requirements, and to better manage road driving risk.
00:52 Driving for Better Business, its objectives, some benefits, and legal requirements.
02:34 Rail industry and national statistics for road driving accidents when driving for work.
04:06 What DfBB does to help employers manage their road driving risk.
04:45 How the DfBB framework helps to benchmark, do a gap analysis, and provides resources.
06:24 How the DfBB Gap Analysis Tool can identify what and where improvements to road risk management can be made.
08:23 How the Gap Analysis Tool can be used by all businesses, and the rail-specific section on procured transport—taxis and rail replacement bus services.
09:55 The most common gaps companies find—mostly around road driving policies.
11:34 Potential consequences for companies that don't apply policies correctly—with an example from the rail industry where a heavy fine and costs were imposed.
12:43 The authorities are making more 'stops', and how those might disrupt business activities.
15:13 Where to find the Gap Analysis Tool, and other useful resources.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Driving for Better Business website: https://www.drivingforbetterbusiness.com/
Association for Road Risk Management: https://www.arrm.org.uk/
Related resources:
Leading Health and Safety on Britain's Railway: Occupational Road Risk Management page: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/occupational-road-risk-management
Road Risk Group web page:
https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/groups-and-committees/safety/ssrg/rrg
National Freight Safety Group webpage:
https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/groups-and-committees/safety/ssrg/nfsg
RoSPA, Management of Occupational Road Risk web page:
https://www.rospa.com/occupational-safety/our-projects/morr
Infrastructure Safety Leadership Group:
https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/groups-and-committees/safety/ssrg/islg
RoadSafe website: https://www.roadsafe.com/
In this episode Steve Enright, Head of Safety, Security & Sustainability for Abellio Transport Holdings UK, and Chair of the Road Risk Group, talks about the Occupational Road Risk Management Charter and why companies should sign it. He also looks at how companies that don't have vehicle fleets can still be vulnerable to road risk.
01:30 About Steve, his railway career, and his work before the railway.
02:06 What's in the Charter, who he wants to sign it, and the benefits that it will bring.
03:30 Why working collaboratively will bring greater benefits than going it alone.
05:05 The numbers involved in road collisions, their impact on our industry and society.
06:42 Why companies should commit to the Charter in an uncertain future, with employees and resources already stretched.
07:03 How road risk impacts companies that don't, or appear not to, run vehicle fleets.
08:09 Why sign the Charter and engage with road risk—the benefits that include cost savings and reputational benefit.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Leading Health and Safety on Britain's Railway: Occupational Road Risk Management page: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/occupational-road-risk-management
Driving for Better Business website: https://www.drivingforbetterbusiness.com/
Road Risk Group web page:
https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/groups-and-committees/safety/ssrg/rrg
Association for Road Risk Management: https://www.arrm.org.uk/
National Freight Safety Group webpage:
https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/groups-and-committees/safety/ssrg/nfsg
Related resources:
RoSPA, Management of Occupational Road Risk web page:
https://www.rospa.com/occupational-safety/our-projects/morr
Infrastructure Safety Leadership Group:
https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/groups-and-committees/safety/ssrg/islg
RoadSafe website: https://www.roadsafe.com/
In this episode Tavid Dobson, Lead Safety Management Specialist at RSSB and Anne-Marie Penny, Senior Road Safety Policy Adviser at National Highways, talk about how collaboration between their organisations is working to better manage the risk that arises from driving for work.
01:26 About Anne-Marie and how she came to work in road safety.
02:08 About Tavid and how he came to work on road driving risk.
03:04 RSSB's work on road risk, now a priority topic in Leading Health and Safety on Britain's Railway.
04:05 The Driving for Better Business (DfBB) programme, its vision, its aims, and accident statistics for people driving for work.
06:42 Using DfBB as a common framework and the need for a collaborative approach.
07:35 Resources available from DfBB, and the value of collaboration with RSSB.
09:16 The industry benefits from working with DfBB now and in the future.
10:15 The challenges that the rail industry faces in managing road risk.
11:47 The DfBB programme is no more than meeting existing legal requirements.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Leading Health and Safety on Britain's Railway: Occupational Road Risk Management page: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/occupational-road-risk-management
'Managing occupational road risk associated with road driver fatigue' research project T997 https://www.sparkrail.org/pages/libraryresults.aspx?k=T997
Driving for Better Business website: https://www.drivingforbetterbusiness.com/
Road Risk Group web page:
https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/groups-and-committees/safety/ssrg/rrg
Association for Road Risk Management: https://www.arrm.org.uk/
Related resources:
RoSPA, Management of Occupational Road Risk web page:
https://www.rospa.com/occupational-safety/our-projects/morr
Infrastructure Safety Leadership Group:
https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/groups-and-committees/safety/ssrg/islg
RoadSafe website: https://www.roadsafe.com/
This episode looks at how the RSSB Horizon Scanning programme has identified issues and helped companies make the best possible decisions around the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. With a vaccination programme well under way, Claire Shooter talks about the support that has been delivered, and how to deal with the uncertainty of the future.
00:46 About Claire and how she puts her previous experience to good use.
01:44 What Horizon Scanning means at RSSB and how it supports the industry.
03:17 The uncertainties that Covid-19 still holds for the industry.
04:30 The impact of changing lockdown restrictions.
05:55 How horizon scanning helps us spot trends and what we can do with that information.
06:48 How horizon scanning has been drawn in to much shorter time lines and why.
07:27 What horizon scanning has given to industry, and how it will continue.
08:09 How to deal with uncertainty when trying to plan for the next three months.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Rail Biosafety Horizon Scanning Programme
https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/key-industry-topics/horizon-scanning/biosafety
Related resources:
Covid-19 support
https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/the-coronavirus-pandemic-how-we-can-help-you
Horizon Scanning at RSSB
https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/key-industry-topics/horizon-scanning/horizon-scanning-at-rssb
In this seventh and final episode about software failures in safety-critical systems, Dr Emma Taylor talks about a number of incidents, from the railway, a medical incident and aircraft. To encourage you to be creative when you start to think about reasonably foreseeable scenarios—what could possibly go wrong with your complex software-based system. And what you can do to help design out errors before they cause an incident.
01:42 How to look beyond railway-specific risk analysis to find reasonably foreseeable scenarios
02:48 We must look to the past to see what could happen in the future, and the importance of using your own scenarios
03:37 Soncepts to help you start your own thinking processes
04:36 Common themes, and considerations relevant to software
09:20 Old hardware and software issues—why you should report and record faults
08:24 Looking at other sectors and industries for learning
12:03 How to carry out an effective risk assessment for digital systems
13:18 The consequences of a 2019 software patch, for Class 7XX trains
15:40 You don't need to ask complex questions
15:59 The software patch on the 737-8 Max aircraft that led to hundreds of fatalities
16:43 Software and cyber security—who do you want to let into your house?
Resources in this episode:
Article on the Maersk malware incident
https://www.i-cio.com/management/insight/item/maersk-springing-back-from-a-catastrophic-cyber-attack
How the Boeing 737 Max Disaster Looks to a Software Developer (a personal view) https://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/aviation/how-the-boeing-737-max-disaster-looks-to-a-software-developer
Federal Aviation Authority Updates on Boeing 737 MAX
https://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=93206
Federal Aviation Authority—Boeing 737 MAX Reading Room
https://www.faa.gov/foia/electronic_reading_room/boeing_reading_room/
Boeing's own 737 MAX Updates web page—with links to the plane's validation process: https://www.boeing.com/737-max-updates/
ORR: Report following railway power disruption on 9 Aug 2019
https://www.orr.gov.uk/media/10752/download
Related resources:
LHSBR Infrastructure Asset Integrity section: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/infrastructure-asset-integrity
LHSBR Rolling Stock Asset Integrity section: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/rolling-stock-asset-integrity
The digital bits of a system podcast https://www.orr.gov.uk/guidance-compliance/rail/health-safety/strategy/rm3
The V-model on Geeks for Geeks.org: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/software-engineering-sdlc-v-model/
The V-model for humans on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-Model_(software_development)
In this episode I talk with RSSB's recently appointed Director for Sustainable Development, George Davies, about his vision for a new Rail Sustainability Strategy. He also talks about his plans for how to collaborate with industry colleagues to agree, implement, and communicate the strategy and the progress it achieves.
00:55 The broad scope of sustainability, its definition, and its primary elements.
02:59 How Sir David Attenborough ignited his passion for the environment.
04:19 Pandemics as a result of human activity, and the climate emergency.
05:42 Transitioning from aviation to the railway and the issues to be addressed.
08:22 Rail's challenges for sustainability—hydrogen and battery power.
09:53 Delivering social benefit, and getting freight off the roads.
11:36 Rail's strategic objectives, and defining the Sustainable Rail Strategy.
14:34 How to set out 'flagship industry goals' on carbon, air quality, social impact, and biodiversity; and their route maps.
16:27 The mission to demystify sustainability and make it an accessible topic.
17:43 Engaging with industry groups and sectors to achieve the strategy's goals.
19:25 The need to engage with rolling stock owners and leasing companies.
20:24 Working with central and devolved governments, and with charitable organisations.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Online explanations of a 'stranded asset' in an environmental context:
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranded_asset#:~:text=In%20the%20context%20of%20upstream,as%20a%20result%20of%20changes
London School of Economics – Grantham Institute: https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/explainers/what-are-stranded-assets/
Carbon Tracker: https://carbontracker.org/terms/stranded-assets/
Other related resources:
The RSSB Sustainability web page: https://www.rssb.co.uk/sustainability
The RSSB Decarbonisation web page: https://www.rssb.co.uk/sustainability/decarbonisation
In this sixth podcast about software failures in safety-critical systems, Dr Emma Taylor talks about an incident that happened in 2014 during normal working of the National Air Traffic System. We look at what went wrong, and how good recording and documentation at each stage in the V-model allowed a complete shutdown of the air traffic control system for southern England to be quickly reinstated—without any harm to the thousands of passengers in the air.
02:05 The incident and its impact on passengers; and what the railway can learn from it.
04:20 What's coming for the railway as it introduces more and more digital parts.
04:43 The system definition step in the V-model, and assumptions made about the core software.
07:15 Why the latent software fault wasn't found; the failure, and safety hazard categorisation.
09:20 How good documentation and work logs narrowed the search for the faulty line of code.
10:51 Specifying the ability of a complex software-based system to log changes and faults.
11:39 The recommendations from the NATS report that will help find the 'needle in the haystack'.
14:04 The need to manage software quality in the supply chain.
15:12 Don't ask suppliers deliver beyond their capabilities.
16:44 Retaining development information, auditing the evidence, verifying processes, and formal error management systems.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
NATS System Failure 12 December 2014 – Final Report, Independent Enquiry https://www.nats.aero/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Independent-Enquiry-Final-Report-2.0.pdf
Loss of safety critical signalling data on the Cambrian Coast line, 20 October 2017: https://www.gov.uk/raib-reports/report-17-2019-loss-of-safety-critical-signalling-data-on-the-cambrian-coast-line
The digital bits of a system podcast https://www.orr.gov.uk/guidance-compliance/rail/health-safety/strategy/rm3
The V-model on Geeks for Geeks.org: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/software-engineering-sdlc-v-model/
The V-model for humans on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-Model_(software_development)
Other related resources:
LHSBR Infrastructure Asset Integrity section: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/infrastructure-asset-integrity
LHSBR Rolling Stock Asset Integrity section: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/rolling-stock-asset-integrity
In this fifth podcast about the impact of software failures on railway asset safety, Dr Emma Taylor talks about the causes behind an accident that happened during testing on a city metro system. Checks from the V-model that should have been applied during the development, testing and implementation of the complex, software-based system.
02:04 Using the V-model to verify and validate the integrity of safety-critical software systems.
03:10 The signalling failure incident and the major changes that were being tested.
04:43 The system definition step in the V-model—opinion on some assumptions made about the dependability of the core software.
05:16 Latent software faults.
05:50 Risk assessment, identifying hazards, and designing software systems to avoid them.
07:25 Some personal thoughts on why a data synchronization issue might have been missed.
08:15 The practical stages of software development, system requirements, and recording design changes.
09:20 Failure of data copying between systems, and related process documentation.
10:22 The testing part of manufacture—verification and validation throughout the lifecycle.
11:38 The role of third-party, independent assessors in the development process.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
The V-model on Geeks for Geeks.org: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/software-engineering-sdlc-v-model/
The V-model for humans on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-Model_(software_development)
Loss of safety critical signalling data on the Cambrian Coast line, 20 October 2017: https://www.gov.uk/raib-reports/report-17-2019-loss-of-safety-critical-signalling-data-on-the-cambrian-coast-line
The digital bits of a system podcast https://www.orr.gov.uk/guidance-compliance/rail/health-safety/strategy/rm3
Other related resources:
LHSBR Infrastructure Asset Integrity section: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/infrastructure-asset-integrity
LHSBR Rolling Stock Asset Integrity section: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/rolling-stock-asset-integrity
In this fourth podcast about the impact of software failures on railway asset safety Dr Emma Taylor talks about the causes of the Cambrian Line Incident. Failures both of the software system and of the processes during development, testing and implementation. Also, about the industry's response to recommendation 3 in the RAIB report on the incident.
01:04 The Cambrian Line Incident described.
01:52 How the European Rail Traffic Management System works and what went wrong.
03:39 How this failure could have been foreseen, what led to it, and how it affected the signalling system.
05:41 The RAIB recommendation about safety learning and what didn't happen that should.
07:30 The importance of reporting system faults, however small they may seem.
08:47 How you can tell if the software you are using is complex or not.
10:10 How we need to change our way of thinking about systems that include software.
11:45 How compliance with standards and processes may not show everything that might go wrong.
12:20 Why we all need to learn a bit of a new language.
13:15 What the industry is doing to address these issues.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Loss of safety critical signalling data on the Cambrian Coast line, 20 October 2017: https://www.gov.uk/raib-reports/report-17-2019-loss-of-safety-critical-signalling-data-on-the-cambrian-coast-line
The digital bits of a system podcast https://www.orr.gov.uk/guidance-compliance/rail/health-safety/strategy/rm3
Other related resources:
LHSBR Infrastructure Asset Integrity section: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/infrastructure-asset-integrity
LHSBR Rolling Stock Asset Integrity section: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/rolling-stock-asset-integrity
In this third podcast about trespass, David Whitmarsh, acting Principal Inspector of Railways for Scotland, talks about the ORR's expectations of the industry when it comes to trespass prevention.
He talks about why the ORR might decide to prosecute a railway company rather than the trespasser, and how the level of fines is calculated by the courts. What the ORR would consider to be 'good and sufficient [fences] for today's railway'; and how the new guidance on trespass risk assessment will help railway companies know whether they might be meeting those expectations.
01:10 About David Whitmarsh.
01:55 Why the ORR might prosecute a railway undertaking, rather than the trespasser.
03:06 When BTP would prosecute the trespasser.
03:48 How fines are decided by the courts.
05:10 What constitutes 'good and sufficient fences', and the regulations that determine what good and sufficient looks like today.
07:20 David's view of the new good practice guide on trespass risk assessment and how companies may get it wrong.
09:13 The new guidance as a means to help improve efforts to assess, manage, and mitigate trespass risk.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Railway Safety (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 1997: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1997/553/contents/made
Risk Management Maturity Model (RM3) [amended 2020] https://www.orr.gov.uk/guidance-compliance/rail/health-safety/strategy/rm3
Other related resources:
Railway safety miscellaneous provisions [HSE guidance, PDF download] https://www.orr.gov.uk/sites/default/files/om/guidance-on-railway-safety-regulations-1997.pdf
LHSBR Public Behaviour section: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/public-behaviour
The Trespass Improvement Programme: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/improving-safety-health-and-wellbeing/trespass/trespass-improvement-programme
RSSB research project T1168 Evaluating Effectiveness of Trespass Detection and Prevention Methods: https://www.rssb.co.uk/research-catalogue/CatalogueItem/T1168
RSSB research project T1182 Industry Trespass Data Collection Requirements: https://www.rssb.co.uk/research-catalogue/CatalogueItem/T1182
Delays explained, Vandalism and trespass—Network Rail website: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/looking-after-the-railway/delays-explained/vandalism-and-trespass/
Railway safety campaigns, You Vs Train—Network Rail website: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/safety-in-the-community/railway-safety-campaigns/trespass-campaigns/
You vs. Train website: http://www.youvstrain.co.uk/
In this second podcast about trespass, Walt Cartwright, of DB Cargo UK, and Simon Martin, Route Crime Manager at Network Rail, talk about the practical sides of assessing trespass risk and putting prevention measures in place.
Walt tals about the benefits of the new guide and the consistency it can bring to understanding how to assess trespass risk. How it will increase understanding of how to judge when that risk has been reduced to 'as low as reasonably practicable'. Simon talk about the reasons for trespass, particularly around stations, and about the results from a trial of higher fencing.
01:10 About Walt Cartwright.
01:45 About Simon Martin.
02:12 Why Walt is passionate about reducing trespass.
03:12 The benefits of the new guide to trespass risk assessment.
04:48 How the new guide should improve understanding of what 'as low as reasonably practicable' looks like.
06:26 Why there's lots of trespass at or near stations; and what Network Rail is doing to reduce it.
09:12 The results of a trial with higher fencing at a specific location.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
LHSBR Public Behaviour section: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/public-behaviour
The Trespass Improvement Programme: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/improving-safety-health-and-wellbeing/trespass/trespass-improvement-programme
RSSB research project T1168 Evaluating Effectiveness of Trespass Detection and Prevention Methods: https://www.rssb.co.uk/research-catalogue/CatalogueItem/T1168
RSSB research project T1182 Industry Trespass Data Collection Requirements: https://www.rssb.co.uk/research-catalogue/CatalogueItem/T1182
Delays explained, Vandalism and trespass—Network Rail website: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/looking-after-the-railway/delays-explained/vandalism-and-trespass/
Railway safety campaigns, You Vs Train—Network Rail website: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/safety-in-the-community/railway-safety-campaigns/trespass-campaigns/
You vs. Train website: http://www.youvstrain.co.uk/
In this episode, Dr Emma Taylor talks about the human aspects, the culture change that will be needed to address digital safety threats. The need for traditional design engineers to broaden their sphere of thinking, and to bring others into design conversations. Emma also talks about the need to start thinking about reasonably foreseeable scenarios. For us all to start thinking about what could go wrong when you consider the digital components within your physical assets.
ISO 61357 referred to in this episode is actually IEC 61357 ED1, a project that has now been deleted by the International Electrotechnical Committee. Standards that need to be considered will be covered in a later episode.
00:36 The main barriers to developing an appropriate level of digital resilience.
07:12 What Emma's experience in the Oil and Gas and Aerospace sectors tell us about what we ought to focus on to better manage digital safety risk.
08:58 What the industry should be doing to identify what could go wrong.
13:39 What could happen if you don't start to think about digital safety until after the incident has happened.
Related resources:
National Cyber Security Centre: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/
Episode 6—the podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/925129/6106243
Data & Information System Interface Committee: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/groups-and-committees/technical-strategy/sic-chairs/di-sic
In this episode Dr Emma Taylor talks about the 'NIS Regulations', what they mean for the industry and about what the industry needs to do to comply with the regulations. She looks at who should be concerned, and what we need to do to demonstrate compliance and avoid fines of up to £17m. What to do until we have a good body of precursors to digital incidents; and what aspects of operations should be considered as safety critical.
01:44 Who should be aware of the NIS Regulations, and why.
07:20 What we should be doing until we have a body of knowledge about digital safety and a have built a good set of precursor indicators.
09:30 Is the railway's current definition of 'safety-critical' broad enough? And what risks can come from breaking into a 'non-safety-critical' system.
Related resources:
National Cyber Security Centre: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/
Episode 6—the podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/925129/6106243
Data & Information System Interface Committee: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/groups-and-committees/technical-strategy/sic-chairs/di-sic
In this episode Jason Alexandre of Samaritans talks about the Samaritans' partnership with Network Rail and the rail industry to reduce the number of suicides on the railway. Customer experience manager Rizwan Javed talks about how the training gave him the confidence to intervene, and then tells the story of just one of the 29 life-saving interventions he has made.
01:19 About Jason.
01:57 About Rizwan.
03:22 Samaritans' partnership with the rail industry.
05:15 Talking numbers, and the success of interventions by railway staff.
05:55 About the Managing Suicidal Contacts training programme for the rail industry.
10:20 How the Managing Suicidal Contacts training got Rizwan to start a conversation.
12:20 Rizwan tells the story of just one of his interventions.
Whatever you’re facing, Samaritans volunteers are always there to listen, without judgement, 365 days a year—call free from any phone on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org
Related resources:
For more information on Samaritans partnership with the rail industry and to take part in the managing suicidal contacts training, you can email railcompanies@samaritans.org.
Suicide prevention key contacts: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/improving-safety-health-and-wellbeing/suicide-prevention/suicide-awareness-key-contacts
Suicide prevention good practice: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/improving-safety-health-and-wellbeing/suicide-prevention/suicide-awareness-key-contacts
Suicide prevention support materials: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/improving-safety-health-and-wellbeing/suicide-prevention/suicide-prevention-support-material
Suicide prevention guidance: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/improving-safety-health-and-wellbeing/suicide-prevention/suicide-prevention-guidance
RESTRAIL Toolbox (REduction of Suicide and Trespass on RAILway property) https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/improving-safety-health-and-wellbeing/trespass/restrail-toolbox-reduction-of-suicide-and-trespass-on-railway-property
Continuing the evaluation of the national rail suicide prevention programme (T1081) https://www.rssb.co.uk/research-catalogue/CatalogueItem/T1081
Minimising the impact of suicides on railway staff (T317) https://www.rssb.co.uk/research-catalogue/CatalogueItem/T317
Improving suicide prevention measures on the rail network in Great Britain (T845) https://www.rssb.co.uk/research-catalogue/CatalogueItem/T845
In this first podcast about trespass, Oliver Bratton, Director Network Strategy and Operations, Louise McNally, Trespass Prevention Lead, at Network Rail, and Inspector Becky Warren, of the British Transport Police, talk about the human, safety and operational impacts of trespass on the railway.
They talk about its human costs, as a result of fatalities and life-changing injuries. On the family and friends of those whose lives are altered or taken, and on those who witness the traumatic results of trespass, be they railway staff, passengers, the public, or the police who have to deal with the aftermath. They also talk of the additional costs and potential dangers added by the delays that trespass causes.
00:46 Intoducing Inspector Becky Warren
01:30 Introducing Louise McNally
01:58 Introducing Oliver Bratton
02:52 Why trespass happens…
04:16 …and some of its human impacts
05:18 What BTP does when trespassers are seen on the railway
07:53 Becky recounts the trauma of having to deal personally with the aftermath of a trespass fatality
13:40 What Network Rail does when trespassers are seen on the railway…
10:00 … and the possible impacts of trespass delays
11:20 Advice for drivers who see trespassers—December 2020 Rule Book changes
12:25 Some recent incidents of trespass disruption
14:02 Sign to make it clear where trespass begins
14:45 Recent industry actions and strategy to reduce trespass
16:45 The Trespass Improvement Programme
18:20 Guidance on trespass risk assessment
19:37 RSSB's work to support the Trespass Improvement Programme and risk assessment
Resources mentioned in this episode:
LHSBR Public Behaviour section: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/public-behaviour
The Trespass Improvement Programme: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/improving-safety-health-and-wellbeing/trespass/trespass-improvement-programme
RSSB research project T1168 Evaluating Effectiveness of Trespass Detection and Prevention Methods: https://www.rssb.co.uk/research-catalogue/CatalogueItem/T1168
RSSB research project T1182 Industry Trespass Data Collection Requirements: https://www.rssb.co.uk/research-catalogue/CatalogueItem/T1182
Delays explained, Vandalism and trespass—Network Rail website: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/looking-after-the-railway/delays-explained/vandalism-and-trespass/
Railway safety campaigns, You Vs Train—Network Rail website: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/safety-in-the-community/railway-safety-campaigns/trespass-campaigns/
You vs. Train website: http://www.youvstrain.co.uk/
In this podcast Dr Emma Taylor, former rocket scientist and chartered mechanical engineer, talks about how the changing railway and increasing number of digital components will start to blur the lines between rolling stock and infrastructure design and build. And how it will be increasingly beneficial to have software engineers and cyber security specialists in teams.
Emma has been talking to stakeholders across the rail industry about what keeps them awake at night. And it turns out to be the unknown unknowns, the gaps in knowledge and understanding about how digital components work and interact.
01:20 About Dr Emma Taylor.
03:38 How digital technologies will affect the rolling stock/infrastructure interface.
04:40 LHSBR priority areas and the importance of digital competencies.
05:17 About the Asset Integrity Group.
05:58 What keeps asset managers awake at night?
07:10 The need to describe whole systems as more than just their physical components.
08:18 Understanding what could go wrong and why
09:45 Filling the gaps with good quality information and data.
11:23 Key messages for asset integrity groups.
13:40 Why we need to include new experience and knowledge around the digital railway.
17:01 Why it needs to be okay to say we don't know.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Asset Integrity Group https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/groups-and-committees/safety/ssrg/aig
In LHSBR:
Rolling Stock Asset Integrity: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/rolling-stock-asset-integrity
Infrastructure Asset Integrity: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/infrastructure-asset-integrity
Blogs:
Asset integrity – let's keep listening (Emma Taylor): https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/blogs/Asset-integrity-lets-keep-listening
Asset integrity – eyes everywhere (Catherine Baker): https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/blogs/Asset-integrity---eyes-everywhere
Asset integrity – it’s not all in the data (Greg Morse): https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/blogs/Asset-integrity---its-not-all-in-the-data
Asset Integrity – Lessons from Hatfield (George Bearfield): https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/blogs/asset-integrity-lessons-from-hatfield
In this podcast Sara Sherrard and Tom Moran talks about failings in customer care and the improvements implemented after Sara's mother suffered a fatal accident at Mill Hill Station.
Sara Sherrard's mother, Priscilla Tropp, died following a fall down a station staircase. Tom Moran is now the MD at Thameslink and Great Northern Railways. Sara describes her experience as she learned the details of her mother's accident, treatment and what happened around the Coroner's Inquest. Tom talks about his meeting with Sara, her concerns about the serious failings in process and communication, and the improvements that, between them, they have achieved since then.
01:15 About Tom Moran
02:30 About Sara Sherrard, her mother and the accident at Mill Hill Broadway Station.
05:18 What happened after the accident.
06:46 The Coroner's Inquest and inaccessible information at the station.
09:57 Sara's feelings at the reopened inquest, findings, recommendations, and inaction.
12:50 GTR's response to the Coroner's Regulation 28 report—and a frustrating visit to Mill Hill.
15:25 How Tom Moran learned about Sara's situation and their first meeting.
18:20 Implementing PAPI, and ongoing work with Sara.
21:30 Sara's work with the railway and her hopes for future improvements.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
The GTR PAPI aide-mèmoire: (PDF download) https://www.rssb.co.uk/-/media/Project/RSSB/RssbWebsite/Documents/Public/Public-content/Insight-and-News/Podcast/gtr-caring-for-our-customers-staff-aide-memoire.pdf
In this episode Dougie Hill, Head of National Freight Strategy & Policy at Direct Rail Services, and Geoff Spencer, former CEO of DB Cargo (UK), talk through the challenges to get competing companies to collaborate. Their work in the National Freight Safety Group (NFSG) has led to the Freight Integrated Plan for Safety.
00:50 About Dougie Hill.
01:50 About Geoff Spencer.
02:45 Freight sector risk reduction in 2016.
03:40 Practicalities of getting competing companies to collaborate.
05:00 Engaging stakeholders and setting realistic timescales.
06:50 LHSBR topics beyond derailment and early collaboration.
07:25 Managing the top risk projects and some notable successes.
09:25 RSSB support for NFSG as a collaborative group.
10:33 What worked to create a collaborative environment.
11:45 Lessons learned to implement and improve collaboration
Resources mentioned in this episode:
National Freight Safety Group: https://www.rssb.co.uk/Learn-and-Connect/Groups-and-Committees/Safety/SSRG/NFSG
The Viareggio train derailment [2009] Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viareggio_train_derailment
New Insights into the Viareggio Railway Accident, Manca D., 2014, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 36, 13-18 DOI: 10.3303/CET1436003] https://www.aidic.it/cet/14/36/003.pdf
Managing Fatigue in the Freight Sector https://www.rssb.co.uk/Insights-and-News/Key-Industry-Topics/Fatigue-and-Alertness/Common-Principles-for-Managing-Fatigue-in-the-Freight-Sector
Rail Freight Operations Group https://www.rssb.co.uk/Learn-and-Connect/Groups-and-Committees/Safety/SSRG/NFSG/RFOG
Other related resources:
Road Risk Collaboration https://www.rssb.co.uk/Standards-and-Safety/Improving-Safety-Health--Wellbeing/Enhancing-Safety-Health--Wellbeing-Through-Collaboration/Rail-Industry-Road-Risk-Resource-Centre/Road-risk-collaboaration
Managing Occupational Road Risk Related to Fatigue https://www.rssb.co.uk/Insights-and-News/Key-Industry-Topics/Fatigue-and-Alertness/Fatigue-Risk-Management-Systems/Managing-occupational-road-risk-related-to-fatigue
This podcast looks at the part that CIRAS, the Confidential Incident Reporting and Analysis Service, contributes to the continual improvement of safety management for the railway and other transport systems.
In this episode Catherine Baker, director of CIRAS, talks about how the confidential reporting service works—the types of incidents and reasons for calls, and examples of the results that CIRAS achieves. She also talks about what CIRAS does to maintain confidentiality, and how the service complements an organisation's existing reporting and whistleblowing systems.
00:40 About Catherine Baker.
01:00 What is confidential reporting?
01:58 Common barriers to raising an issue at work.
02:30 Confidential reporting in practice.
03:25 Sharing findings with all CIRAS members.
03:45 The most commonly reported issues
04:48 Why people contact CIRAS
05:10 How confidential reporting differs from internal reporting or whistleblowing.
06:30 How confidential reporting makes a difference.
07:09 How CIRAS maintains confidentiality.
08:18 The impact of Covid-19 on CIRAS reporting
09:15 The future need for CIRAS
10:15 Where to find out more.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
· CIRAS website: https://www.ciras.org.uk/
· CIRAS on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ciras/
· CIRAS on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ciras_uk
Trevor Parkin of East Midlands Railway and Chris Harrison of RSSB talk about what the rail industry is doing to reduce the number of signals passed at danger, and so the likelihood of a potentially fatal train accident.
01:25 About Trevor Parkin.
02:10 About Chris Harrison.
02:35 SPADs in the 1990s and the changes made since.
03:53 The Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS).
06:07 Optimising the safety benefit of TPWS.
07:59 The Red Aspect Approaches to Signals (RAATS) Tool.
12:32 How to reduce SPAD numbers—the strategy.
14:50 About the SPAD Risk Subgroup.
18:05 Industry challenges for the RAATS Tool.
22:03 Getting train operators to use RAATS.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
SPAD Good Practice Guide https://www.rssb.co.uk/Insights-and-News/Key-Industry-Topics/SPAD-Good-Practice-Guide
SPAD Risk Subgroup https://www.rssb.co.uk/Learn-and-Connect/Groups-and-Committees/Safety/SSRG/TARG/SPAD-RSG
Red Aspect Approaches to Signals (RAATS) Toolkit https://www.rssb.co.uk/Standards-and-Safety/Tools--Resources/Rail-Risk-Toolkit/Red-Aspect-Approaches-to-Signals-Toolkit
Other related resources:
SPAD Risk Ranking Tool https://www.rssb.co.uk/Standards-and-Safety/Tools--Resources/Rail-Risk-Toolkit/SPAD-Risk-Ranking-Tool
Signals passed at danger – A summary of the rail industry's approach to risk reduction
https://www.sparkrail.org/Lists/Records/DispForm.aspx?ID=26755
Joana Faustino, Work Psychologist at RSSB, talks about the feelings we might be experiencing and some coping strategies for the pressures that we are facing.
01:00 Possible effects of the lockdown on your mental health.
03:10 Acknowledging your emotions.
04:12 How are news reports affecting you?
04:55 Managing worry.
07:09 Managing difficult situations.
09:30 Physical and mental health working together.
10:40 Keeping a routine.
12:28 Getting help from others.
13:30 Identifying and solving problems.
15:44 Help from outside sources.
16:48 How we can help others.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Postpone your worry leaflet: https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/~/media/CCI/Mental%20Health%20Professionals/Generalised%20Anxiety/Generalised%20Anxiety%20-%20Information%20Sheets/Generalised%20Anxiety%20Information%20Sheet%20-%2005%20-%20Postpone%20your%20Worry.pdf
Postpone your worry worksheet: https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/~/media/CCI/Mental%20Health%20Professionals/Generalised%20Anxiety/Generalised%20Anxiety%20-%20Worksheets/Generalised%20Anxiety%20Worksheet%20-%2001%20-%20Postpone%20your%20Worry.pdf
Problem solving worksheet: https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/ProblemSolvingWorksheet.pdf
NHS How to get to sleep: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/how-to-get-to-sleep/
NHS Your Mind Plan: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/your-mind-plan-quiz/
Mind for better mental health: https://www.mind.org.uk/coronavirus-we-are-here-for-you/
Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/
You can find links to other related resources for the rail industry and for individuals by going to the RSSB website www.rssb.co.uk and searching for 'Covid-19' or 'mental wellbeing'. These include other resources and articles such as:
Local IAPT service : an NHS service that provides talking therapies for common mental health difficulties.
The Railway Mission : The Railway Mission have set up a dedicated support mailbox for rail staff during the pandemic at COVID19@railwaymission.org. Rail staff can also phone, text, or WhatsApp on 07903-505868.
The Covid-19 Road Transport Toolkit: https://www.drivingforbetterbusiness.com/covid-19/