RSSB at the Front Line: Recent Episodes
RSSB
RSSB podcasts on subjects that are of general interest and more relevant to those on the front line, who deliver a better, safer railway for Britain. Topics such as technology for a better customer experience, health and wellbeing, and workforce safety.
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
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
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
Namrita Kohli and Marcus Dacre of the RSSB Risk and Safety Intelligence team talk us through the headlines of the GB railway's safety record for the past year. As well as statistics they talk about what's being done across the industry to improve safety.
00:27 About Namrita
01:00 About Marcus
01:35 What's included in the Annual Health and Safety Report—the statistics and lessons learned
03:09 How Covid-19 affected the railway, and measures to make the the railway as safe as possible for work and travel
03:54 How the pandemic affected safety and rates of non-physical staff assaults
05:02 The fatal train accident at Carmont, and RSSB's work to understand infrastructure risk
06:30 About trackworker safety, recent fatalities, and the work of the Safety Task Force
07:42 Future challenges, how they could affect safety risk; a new normal way of working, and the Great British Railways White Paper
08:40 How the railway is still a comparatively safe way to travel
09:28 Who uses the reports, what for, and where you can find them
Resources mentioned in this episode:
2020-21 Annual Health and Safety Report https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/monitoring-safety/safety-performance-reports
Leading Health and Safety on Britain's Railway – the industry's health and safety strategy document https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway
The government's Great British Railways White Paper (downloadable PDF): https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/994603/gbr-williams-shapps-plan-for-rail.pdf
Nick Millington's podcast episode about the work of the Network Rail Safety Task Force, On Track – Staying Safe https://network-rail.wistia.com/medias/tsakiypg9t
RSSB Covid-19 support https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/the-coronavirus-pandemic-how-we-can-help-you
In this episode I talk with 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