31.10.13
Network Rail site safety – a new set of principles
Source: Rail Technology Magazine Oct/Nov 2013
Network Rail is making significant changes to its site safety and permit to work arrangements. RTM reports from a presentation made by Network Rail’s Steve Hooker.
Safety is at the forefront of everything we do’, Network Rail says, with a commitment to safety at the very highest levels.
The company takes every opportunity to push its ‘Everyone home safe every day’ message. It has also launched the Lifesaving Rules, has had Safety Trucks roving Network Rail work sites since 2005, and publishes ‘Lessons Learnt’ publications after safety incidents (the latest, dated October 14, 2013, is on the accidental displacement in June 2012 of 140 Pandrol clips at Mansfield Woodhouse by a tamper, with the line reopened at line speed without anyone realising anything was wrong).
It is also rolling out Sentinel 2 (the 10,000th smartcard was issued in September) to verify individuals and improve track safety, and has endorsed the new SkillsID system to verify workers’ competences and qualifications.
But the company is now looking at changing its day-to-day site safety rules too.
The following is from a presentation by Steve Hooker (pictured right) to an NSARE conference on September 24 (see page 30):
What’s the problem – how many of these do you recognise? (or at least acknowledge!)
• We do not believe the current arrangements for controlling site safety in terms of rail risk and task risk are adequate
• The roles and responsibilities of those involved in planning, delivering and checking work are unclear
• The current ‘work packs’ do not provide site, task and time specific information to deliver safe work and tend to be generic
• Some of the key safety roles we need are filled by workers who are not always effectively able to discharge the requirements of the role
• It is not clear on site who is responsible for overall safety and work delivery
• There is an informality about the way some works are planned and carried out – particularly tasks which are seen as routine and particularly those which change
Solving the problem
• Working out exactly who should have responsibility for planning and delivery
• Establishing whether we have too many safety critical roles out there – COSS, PICOP, ES, PC
• Trialling, through the Control of Work group, a new Permit-to-Work system
• Reviewing how many suppliers we have who provide safety critical resource
• Examining the way in which we contract with our suppliers
• Learning how other industries and companies do this successfully
• Reviewing how we train and assure the ongoing competence of safety critical roles
Overarching principles
• The line manager is ACCOUNTABLE for planning safe working practices and for appointing someone RESPONSIBLE for safe delivery of work
• One person will be responsible for safe delivery of work
• The safety management arrangements will be appropriate to the risk of the work being carried out, the hazards present at the location of the work, and the time the work is carried out
• A Permit-to-Work system will be introduced and with it clear roles and responsibilities
• Everyone will comply with the permit and the Lifesaving Rules
What does this mean for you?
• Some safety critical roles, as we know them now, will change or disappear
• Network Rail and principal contractors will take more ownership for safety critical roles
• We expect that less suppliers will be able to meet our new requirements
• The way we contract with suppliers will change. Safety, performance and productivity will be written into the contracts; we will create a framework within which they will work regarding standards for their employees (including training and development); we will seek to move away from zero hour contracts where there is appropriate; we will include requirements on ethical and sustainable behaviours; higher standards and additional controls will be implemented for those in our supply chain who train and assess defined safety-critical roles
Tell us what you think – have your say below or email [email protected]