What happened in 2023...

3Squared published a blog on how technology can support safety across the rail network. An insight from 3Squared: “By collaborating and making the most of technology and data, we can support rail safety across the network.”

5 Lamps Media did a review of their safety related content.

Their suite of e-Learning courses created for Govia Thameslink Railway covers some complex issues surrounding wellbeing and safety. Frontline staff regularly have to manage many different difficult situations. The courses demonstrate how to do this with compassion, including appropriate communication techniques and active listening skills, whilst focusing on keeping themselves safe and seeking support.

The Rail Delivery Group asked them to produce e-Learning that would help frontline staff be better equipped to recognise and be aware of sexual harassment happening, and the many ways that they can make a difference. They created a variety of media to design a thought provoking and compelling course that can have a positive influence for many people.

Achilles Information presented at the Rail Safety Week conference on the findings from their 2022/23 Ethical Employment Trends Report.  2022 saw Achilles speak with over 4500 people globally, with many workers reporting similar issues, including real concerns over access to adequate PPE, excessive hours of work and a lack of awareness of how to report concerns.

Acres Engineering detailed how their continuous work with the Rail Industry is supported by their understanding that safety and functionality is absolutely critical. They shared a case study on how they designed the Catering Installation Project, to help with loading catering equipment to train carriages.

Agility3 shared how they wholeheartedly support Rail Safety Week and are proud to work with a range of clients within the rail industry to provide visualisation solutions that enhance safety and training. From their RapidRail solution that delivers a realistic view from the cab through to projects where they supported research into level crossing design and safety – they are building safety together.

During #RSW23, AGS One’s Head of Safety attended site to inspect the Pest Control team and to talk to them about the challenges they face. Working on the underground is challenging as they have a very small window to deliver the work, often between 1am and 4am. Maintaining safety standards whilst under pressure is key to what they do. Safety is paramount and making the right choices is important. AGS One shared how STAY SAFE has been their campaign for many years and they have regular safety topics that they discuss with staff monthly face-to-face, giving them the opportunity to voice their concerns. Providing regular feedback on what was good is just as important as what needs to be improved, as this helps to build trust and integrity.

During Rail Safety Week, Alstom supported the Baton of Hope suicide prevention campaign to raise awareness and get people talking. Their Professional Head Of Health, Claire Sallis explained what it’s all about in this video. In another great video, Alstom’s Environment, Health & Safety Director, Colin Haynes shared why the week is important to them, their intention to send everybody home not just in the same condition but if possible more well-off and happier, their zero deviation plan which lists life-saving rules, and also their focus on managing their environment.

Amulet Security shared an amazing story from their Avanti West Coast safeguarding team leader, Ritchie Finnie, which demonstrates the impact that their rail Safeguarding Officers have. They also thanked all of their Safeguarding and Travel Safe Officers who keep passengers and staff safe for their rail customers.

AssessTech’s CEO Gabriel Stroud shared his insights into why Rail Safety Week is important to them: “As a team, we’re privileged to work closely with the people that serve at the heart of the railway industry. Rail Safety Week is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the initiatives designed to keep not only staff, but also customers safe. Promoting safety and supporting the industry through the adoption of developmental competence management is a key tenet of our business and one that we are proud to champion.”

Atkins created a values moment for use in meetings throughout the week and beyond which contained more information about Rail Safety Week and focused on the risks associated with working on the railway and how they can be managed. Several colleagues visited schools in Derby to run dedicated STEM events with pupils. Their Signalling business hosted rail safety stand-downs on some of the live projects and they also encouraged all managers to have open conversations about safety, health and wellbeing with their teams.

Aura Brand Solutions explored what safety means to them when working on rail projects, they kicked off their investigation by interviewing their Health & Safety Manager, Bernie Daley – read the interview here. They also did a mini video series, in the first instalment Bernie Daley, their Senior Installation Team Leader, Gareth Lang and Project Manager, Craig Illingworth, share their thoughts whilst onsite at WH Davis, where they’re currently wrapping the new fleet of Drax Group biomass wagons. In the second instalment, Aura asked WH Davis Project Manager, Steve Shooter about their approach to ensuring the safety of visitors and customers while onsite. Watch the full video.

Avanti West Coast had a wide range of activities and roadshows planned throughout Rail Safety Week at various locations. Underpinned by their 6 Golden Rules for Safety, colleagues received a Rail Safety Week specific newsletter and during the week members of their leadership team visited various sites around the business to have safety tours and conversations.

Ahead of the week, Andy Mellors also joined colleagues from Network Rail, British Transport Police and the Samaritans to help raise awareness of rail safety at Lancaster station.

Babcock were a prize sponsor of both our Rail Safety Week Children’s Competitions – the colouring competition for ages up to 8 and Wordsearch for 8-11’s.

Babcock Land, with their partners, enjoyed a packed week of events, including lunch and learns and safety stand downs. In their Belfast office, their employees also had the opportunity to try on sustainable PPE.

Belvoir Rail shared how they are proud to support Rail Safety Week – a week that highlights the importance of a strong safety culture. They posted how at Belvoir Rail, safety is not just a goal they want to achieve, it’s an integral part of who they are. Trevor Beale, their Operations and quality Director said: “Safety is a top priority and at the heart of what we do. We believe in a strong commitment to leadership, reducing risk implementing safe systems of work and promoting open conversations about safety.  Our people are safety advocates and we are proud of a culture where everyone feels involved and responsible for each other’s safety.”

There was a whole raft of activity from BTP all across the UK during #RSW23.

Engaged by the RSW team:

• BTP shared their initiatives for protecting women and girls from violence at the rail safety week launch conference.
• They engaged with schools, delivering rail safety assemblies and presentations for students, including a school for pupils with SEND. From talks about rail safety to rail safety quizzes, and exercises to create safety signage, BTP engaged the younger generations on topics including the dangers of crossing misuse, trespass and overhead line equipment.
• BTP was a prize sponsor of the RSW Children’s colouring competition!
• During Rail Live, we captured two great videos from different divisions: one of their flight safety leads shared what their drone team do to support safety (watch the video here)and one of their Sergeant’s from the dog section shared what they do to support safety on the rail network (watch the video here).

Activities across the UK including Cardiff & Newport, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Kent, Pontypridd, South Yorkshire, Waterloo, West Scotland and more:

• PCSO’s were out on patrol, visiting stations, level crossings, signal boxes and footbridges, engaging passengers and staff.
• Key contact methods were shared: Text: 61016  |  Tel: 0800 40 50 40  |  Railway Guardian App  | In an emergency: Dial 999
• Lots of collaboration with industry partners, including Transport for Wales – from presentations to TfW new starters, sharing best practice, pop-up events at shopping centres for pupils of local high schools and join patrols and inspections of level crossings; popping up new signage and responding to calls to service.
• Participation in a Fire Safety Zone event alongside Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue.
• Officers responded to an instance of youth trespass following a member of the public making BTP and SE Railway aware – their unit was quick to the scene and the individual was taken home, reported and given a community resolution for trespass.
• BTP Specials Officers attached to the Disruption Tasking Teams took part in a multi-agency exercise alongside colleagues from Network Rail, Northern, North West Ambulance and Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue.
• Participation in Child Safe Media’s Crucial Crew event in Greater Manchester, a multi-agency event educating young people on safety.
• Delight expressed for the relaunch of Scotland’s Railway ‘Rail Pastors Programme’.

C&G Systems noted how #RSW23 also marked the start of the summer school holidays in Scotland – a time when incidents of trespass on the railway tend to increase. Children are often taught about road safety, but what about rail safety – trains can travel at up to 125mph, the railway operates 24/7 and electricity can jump. Find their interactive video lesson on rail safety, narrated by Jane McCarry, on YouTube (video approved by Network Rail and the British Transport Police). With awareness and vigilance, we can ensure all children have a happy and safe summer.

C&G Systems also shared how they’re proud to provide their Checkpoint technology to the rail community, helping contractors and Network Rail achieve their safety goals through:

• Around-the-clock visibility of who’s onsite so you’ll never wonder ‘who’s on the tracks’
• Easy to read information and real time data
• The ability to save money and prevent worker fatigue

C&G systems reflected on the important role technology plays in keeping workers safe. Their mission is to bring ambitious visions to life through software solutions.

CAF had a fabulous programme of risk assessment workshops, management safety tours, safety hours and training. Plus attendance at some rail safety focused events, including our launch conference!

Cambrian Line Community Rail Partnership partnered with Network Rail, British Transport Police, Transport for Wales, Keep Wales Tidy, Talyllyn Railway and local schools to deliver a week long schedule of activities to raise awareness of rail safety.

Activities included:

• Rail safety on the train with students from Caersws and Barmouth who will be transitioning to secondary school in September and will be using the train to attend school
• Launching their new rail safety video with stendents from Tywyn school
• Level Crossing safety talk with campsite residents and users at Hendre Mynach, Caerddaniel Park and Sunny Sands
• Local litter picks around the railway in Penrhyndeudraeth, Porthmadog and Tywyn

See their fantastic activity poster here!

Cemex supported #RSW23 by keeping safety firmly in the spotlight and sharing ideas and best practice across industry colleagues. One resource they highlighted was BTP’s FREE Railway Guardian app which allows you to report crimes or concerns.

Cemex expressed how they are committed to ensuring their rail operations are safe for everyone; their colleagues, customers, freight partners and the public. Find out how in this video: ‘How Are We Improving Safety At Dove Holes Railhead’.

Cemex’s supply chain and security teams, with their freight partners and British Transport Police, completed safety audits to improve their onsite security and safety for all.

Plus, at the start of #RSW23, at Dove Holes Quarry, Network Rail, Cemex, Victa Railfreight, DB Cargo and GB Railfreight reviewed the safety improvements made to the rail operation at one of the UK’s largest aggregate loading facilities.

During #RSW23 CIRAS shared how listening to a range of voices makes a safer workplace; their Director, Catherine Baker explains further in her blog.

In another blog, CIRAS stated the importance of staying vigilant about safety concerns when there is change and potential risk, highlighting options for speaking up.

CIRAS signposted that the Office of Rail and Road Risk Maturity Management Model recognises the role of confidential reporting in safety culture excellence.

Clemtech posted how depot-specific safety is important, with associated hazards including overhead power lines, equipment, machinery and moving parts. At Clemtech, the safety of their contractors is paramount.

Earlier in the month of Rail Safety Week, Colas Group’s 10th Annual Safety Week took place with a theme of collisions, with a variety of activities arranged on this topic to spread awareness, create conversation and mitigate risks on site.

Comms Design shared how they recognise how essential the enhancement of safety for rail users and workers is when designing and developing their solutions. Their Tunnel Comms solution is designed to address the challenges faced by railway engineers working in tunnels or at railway incidents by providing an effective means of communication when alternative methods would fail, thereby improving the safety and awareness of railway maintenance operations.

Community Rail Education Network are sponsoring a signed copy of Arlo’s Adventures and bookmark for each Rail Safety Week Children’s Competition winner.

Community Rail’s Karen Bennett spoke at the Rail Safety Week launch conference on rail safety in Community Rail.

Karen also joined RSW Communications Lead, Jemma Smalls, to record a podcast. Karen talks about two fantastic rail safety resources for communities and schools:

• The Backtrack Competition which aims to reduce the amount of trespass on the UKs railways.
• Arlo’s Adventures: There and Back – A pick-a-path railway safety book which was written and illustrated by Freightliner Group’s Bessie Matthews. Bessie also designed the colouring page for our children’s colouring competition!

Find out more about the Backtrack competition and Arlo’s Adventures here.

Community Rail were also very proud to see their members taking part in #RSW23, engaging their local communities and sharing safety messages far and wide.

A key message shared by Community Safety during #RSW23 was to approach and cross level crossings with care. Never drive onto a crossing until the road is clear on the other side and do not get too close to the car in front. Never stop or park on, or near, a crossing.

Conwy Valley & North West Wales Coast CRP shared lots of resources over #RSW23, including our children’s colouring and wordsearch competitions and the fantastic Arlo’s Adventures book.

They also supported students from Ysgol Iau Hen Golwyn in their learning about rail safety with the BTP and Transport for Wales; engaging in their art project to be displayed at Colwyn Bay railway station.

In addition, they were delighted to help 1st Bethesda Beavers earn their Rail Safety Badge, with support from BTP and Transport for Wales.

CrossTech helped spread the safety message to their wider team and also within the local community. They hosted a Rail Safety quiz and also shared a little more about how they directly contributes to safety within the rail industry. Topics covered included cyber safety, fatigue management, and their Hubble platform.

During #RSW23, DB Cargo shared how rail freight plays a pivotal role in keeping our economy moving, transporting goods efficiently, sustainably, and safely. They promoted how their UK safety campaign, “Together we’re safer. Together we’re DB.” encourages their colleagues to challenge unsafe acts and be open to challenging themselves.

DfT’s James Le Grice provided a Government perspective on what makes the UK’s approach to rail safety so successful and the associated opportunities for the British rail industry at our Rail Safety Week launch conference. James was also interviewed alongside our conference by Learn Live for a broadcast to schools. Watch or listen to all the #RSW23 podcasts.

DigiSig Rail Group shared their support for #RSW23. As a company working in the rail industry they are strongly behind any safety initiatives which improve the safety of our workers or indeed those people using the rail system. Their mantra is “safe, secure and home to our families everyday.”

Dual Inventive attended a Safety Day for Rail Safety Week at Didcot Delivery Unit and demonstrated to Network Rail track workers how easy the ZKL 3000 RC is to install and operate from a position of safety. Remote operation of the device eliminates the need to enter the track – providing additional protection.

EMR focused on reducing staff abuse and physical assaults with a ‘Be Kind’ campaign to humanise their staff and promote kindness. The “Be Kind” badges were developed by Penny Jayne Bond at LNER and the campaign was launched with LNER’s help and support. This is a great example of collaboration, TOCs working together and sharing ideas to help improve safety. Check out this short video which sums up the spirit of the campaign.  If you witness any verbal or physical abuse whilst using the railway, please text BTP on 61016.

Alongside this, internally, they promoted the importance of speaking up and reporting faults and unsafe behaviour. Their fleet Production took the opportunity on Tuesday to review their Heath, Safety & Wellbeing plan comments to form an action plan, and launched their 2023 Safety Plan with a selection of their H&S Rep’s.

In addition, Will Rogers (Rail Forum Chair / Managing Director at EMR) was interviewed alongside our Rail Safety Week launch conference by Learn Live for a broadcast into schools. Watch or listen to the recording on the Rail Safety Week Podcasts page of our website.

Enable’s dedicated Infrastructure team was actively engaged in a range of safety-focused initiatives:

Monday: Their Waterloo HQ buzzed with the ‘Watch My Back’ safety behaviour session, ensuring the entire Enable Group was well-versed in safety practices and promoting a culture of vigilance.

Tuesday: Directors Daniel Wiscombe and Daniel O’Dowd embarked on an insightful visit to witness tree-felling and vegetation management operations on the Core Valley Lines in South Wales. This on-site tour, conducted as part of their work for Transport for Wales, allowed for meaningful discussions with site operatives on vital safety measures, welfare practices, maintaining positive community relations, and site preservation.

Wednesday and Thursday: They were excited to host the latest training sessions at Waterloo for their Supervisor Transformed program. Designed as a bespoke internal initiative, this career pathway empowers their site-based personnel to refine their professional skillset with a strong emphasis on safety. These intensive sessions ensure their supervisors are equipped with the knowledge and expertise to create a secure working environment.

This #RSW23, Fenland District Council’s focus was on anti-trespass. They shared two great resources:

1. Community Rail Education Network’s Backtrack Competition
2. The You vs Train website – which has all the facts and a very impactful video that tells Harrison’s story

Lots of activities by First Rail who operate three major UK train operating companies – Avanti West Coast, Great Western Railway (GWR), South Western Railway (SWR) and two open access passenger rail services, Hull Trains and Lumo.

See all the great activity across those organisations which included:

• Rail Safety Week specific newsletters underpinned by their 6 Golden Rules for Safety produced for each operating company and open access rail service
• Wide range of events, activities and roadshows across their various locations
• Proactive safety conversations with staff and customers

First Rail also provided a photographer for our Rail Safety Week launch conference!

Fission Recruitment Director and Rail Safety Week Founder Alan Tarrant supported an event organised by Network Rail at Manchester Piccadilly. There was plenty of engagement with passengers and staff alike.

To support Rail Safety Week, Flotec published an article discussing the need to work safely with hydraulics as well as an article ‘Beware of the third rail‘ which describes the dangers associated with the third rail.

Freightliner’s Bessie Matthews, author and illustrator of Arlo’s Adventures supported the Rail Safety Week Children’s Colouring Competition by producing a special RSW designed artwork. A big thank you to Bessie!

Louise Ward from Freightliner Group wrote an article in Health and Safety Matters magazine about Rail Safe Friendly; a timely reminder during Rail Safety Week of the importance of keeping our communities safe and to raise awareness of rail safety in schools.

Freightliner also supported a presentation by Work Wallet at the Rail Safety Week launch conference, after which announcing that Freightliner has rolled out the Work Wallet ‘all in one’ safety software throughout the UK!

Plus, alongside the conference, Freightliner’s Sam Boucher was interviewed by Learn Live for a broadcast into schools. Watch or listen to the recording on the Rail Safety Week Podcasts page of our website.

For #RSW23, as part of the Ganymede ethos ‘Safety First, Safety Always’, they created a series of videos highlighting the various elements of their Speak Up initiative, where they encourage their workforce to raise any concerns or questions they may have relating to all aspects of their work.

In the first video, their Head of HSEQ, Gary Lobue explained why they believe the initiative to be of critical importance. In their next video, Richard Pearson, Head of Fleet, promoted the message ‘Don’t Drive Tired’. Symptoms of fatigue include reduced alertness, poor perception and sleepiness, which can have fatal consequences when driving.

At the start of #RSW23, at Dove Holes Quarry, Network Rail, Cemex, Victa Railfreight, DB Cargo and GB Railfreight reviewed the safety improvements made to the rail operation at one of the UK’s largest aggregate loading facilities. Steve Rhymes, Head of Network Management at Network Rail shared that “working collaboratively, several initiatives to deliver safer operations have been completed with much more to come.”

Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT)’s Health & Safety Policy Lead, Patrick Talbot was interviewed alongside our Rail Safety Week launch conference by Learn Live for a broadcast into schools. Watch or listen to the recording on the Rail Safety Week Podcasts page of our website.

GCRE shared how we all have an individual and collective responsibility to make rail and our industry as safe as it possibly can be – and to all make a positive contribution to that work. Ahead of #RSW23, GCRE Director of Rail Operations, Lee Paxton wrote a blog about rail safety.

A major focus for Great Western Railway was safety roadshows and events focused around their 6 Golden Rules for Safety which were launched last July and have been highly effective in further engaging their colleagues in keeping safety at the heart of everything they do.

Teams received a Rail Safety Week specific newsletter, and during the week, colleagues from their leadership team visited various sites around the business to have safety tours and conversations.

One of the events hosted by GWR was a wellbeing day for Network Rail and Transport for Wales, discussing prostate cancer, breast cancer, blood pressure, cholesterol checks and stress.

Greater Anglia shared a video which serves as a stark reminder to take care at level crossings and respect the railway. See track/think train.

GTR (Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express!) promoted Rail Safety Week by asking their senior managers to get out and about at stations and depots to speak to people about safety. They focused on the importance of reporting with the message of “Report and Support” being talked about with their colleagues.

GTR also released a reimagined version of the children’s classic ‘Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes’ to remind passengers to never try and retrieve items off the tracks. The song, called the ‘Keep off the Track’ track, was released on Spotify.  During 2022-23, more than 400 people risked their lives by stepping onto a train track to retrieve dropped items, an increase of 18% from 2021-22. Industry data also reveals that in 2022, more than 60 hours of train delays were caused by items being dropped on tracks.

Their Health, Safety and Security Director Samantha Facey was on Radio throughout #RSW23 highlighting the importance of looking after belongings and not to get onto the track. Listen to the BBC 3CR recording here.

Plus, as the weather was hot during the week, Great Northern encouraged passengers to carry a bottle of water during the warm weather and if anyone was feeling unwell, they were encouraged to stay on the platform where colleagues can help more easily.

Head-shunt, a small mental health charity for the rail industry, published a video by its co-founder Paul on the benefits of a Personal Safety Plan to keep well mentally.

Heart of Wales Line Community Rail Partnership ran some great campaigns across social media and signposted people to resources to teach children about rail safety.

Heart of Wales Line Trail shared how rail safety is everyone’s responsibility and encouraged everyone to commit to being more aware and taking steps to prevent accidents, from following safety instructions to reporting hazards.

Fenland Council promoted Hereward CRP’s support of #RSW23 with the Rail Safety Week supporting graphic. They shared how our railways are vital for transportation, but can be dangerous too and encouraged everyone to prioritise safety during #RSW23 and beyond.

Hey Me expressed how they were proud to be supporting #RSW23 and how their team is grateful to work with such a range of great companies who strive to enhance safety in the rail industry.

HICSE attended our launch conference and following the event signposted people to the Railway Guardian app highlighted by our speakers from the British Transport Police. This is a must-have, easy to download and use app for all travellers which helps report crimes at stations and on transport. It also gives guidance on what to do if you witness a crime or harassment.

Hull Trains held a ‘Meet the Safety Team’ session over lunch in which they introduced the new open access alliance structure for Safety, Security & Sustainability, including Ops Safety.

Teams also received a Rail Safety Week specific newsletter and during the week, colleagues from their leadership team visited various sites around the business to have safety tours and conversations.

They also had an external auditor who engaged with their colleagues around their safety management systems.

Further activities included a talk on fatigue and some shared learning with Lumo in which they talked about hazards in the workplace and understanding why becoming complacent can lead to harm.

Innovace Designs shared how there are a lot of different elements to running a railway safely and inherent dangers in much of what the industry does. “It’s a complex industry, with millions of working parts, including many thousands of people, not just the technology. One approach that has started to gain traction (pun intended) in railways is barrier management, also know as BowTie Methodology.” So for #RSW23, they shared a video featuring a couple of railway colleagues (including Network Rail and HS1) who gave a brief comment on how they are using the BowTie method.

Inside Out Group were delighted to see so many people and organisations running events to recognise the importance of safety and putting safety at the heart of all activities. Managing Director, Donna Hoffman encouraged everyone to put their health and safety at the forefront of all decisions.  Donna also closed out a very impactful and powerful video produced by the RSW team which focused on the importance of prioritising your health and wellbeing.

Murphy are taking another ‘Step in the Safe Direction’ by taking part in the ‘One Summer‘ campaign. Murphy has been engaging people around their three S’s: Standards, Speaking Up and Success Cycle which help them make ‘Never Harm’ a reality.

During#RSW23 some of Keir Hardie Memorial School’s P7 pupils visited younger classes to present information about staying safe close to a railway line. The children carried out their own research and produced supporting PowerPoints. Rail safety posters produced by P7 pupils will be displayed all around the school to continue to spread the vital message.

“Highways and Railway: A United front for Safety.” Two of Keltbray’s business functions discussed and shared safety experiences and best practices, and how they can learn from each other and collectively improve innovation and forward thinking; good communication at all levels was highlighted as the bridge between confusion and clarity.

Keltbray Rail also focussed on emergency preparedness, ‘taking 5’ to test their arrangements during their electrificayion works on Canton depot, Core Valley Lines and Transpennine Route Upgrade – they considered what might go wrong and how site teams would respond in the moment.

Keltbray also took part in the Transpennine Route Upgrade OLE safety stand down alongside their colleagues from Amey.

The week before #RSW23 (to fit in with school timetables) Kent Community Rail Partnership visited educational settings with support from Network Rail and Southeastern to highlight:

• The importance of planning for safe rail travel
• Positive behaviours around stations and on trains
• Assistance available through BTP via ‘61016’ and Railway Guardian
• The dangers of trespassing

Activities included designing rail safety posters.

During #RSW23, Kent CRP shared how You vs Trains has no winners and that trespassing could result in catastrophic, life-changing and potentially fatal injuries.

They posted how simple tips like staying behind the yellow line and taking care when boarding and alighting trains help to keep you safe when you are travelling. Additional important tips posted:

• Don’t trespass on the tracks or retrieve any dropped items
• Be alert and text 61016 if you need to report an incident

Kent CRP wanted everyone to be able to say #IamTrainSafe during #RSW23 and signposted people to watch Network Rail’s film and take part in the quiz.

They also highlighted the ‘Rail to Refuge‘ initiative which helps those looking to escape domestic abuse. As well as the support that Samaritans provides to save lives – signposting the free helpline which is available round the clock on 116 123.

Plus, did you know that support is available to schools in Kent and Medway from South Eastern Railway and BTP Kent to help keep young people safe around the railway. Contact Kent CRP to find out more.

To mark #RSW23, Kite Projects highlighted the importance of level crossing safety as with recent reports of incidents and near misses, pedestrians and cyclists knowing how to use level crossings safely is imperative.

They shared their contribution to rail safety and how the KITE Safe Cross system has been developed to give safer access where the public are utilising a traditional footpath or right of way to cross the track. Through the product, users can get a proper sighting of the track at the decision point.

Learn Live’s Stuart Heaton talked about Rail Safe Friendly and how organisations can get involved at the Rail Safety Week launch Conference. He also conducted short live interviews with some of the guest speakers and industry representatives throughout the event that were then broadcast in schools.

Industry colleagues recorded include:

• Will Rogers, Rail Forum Chair / MD at East Midlands Railway
• Ian Prosser CBE, Chief Inspector of His Majesties Railway at Office of Rail and Road (ORR)
• Karen Bennett, Education & Youth Engagement Advisor at Community Rail Network
• James Le Grice, Head of Rail Safety & Standards at Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom
• Mark Etienne, Police Constable – Disruption Unit at British Transport Police
• Michelle Craven-Faulkner, Partner at Shoosmiths
• Chris Leech MBE, Head of Responsible Business Practice at Tracsis
• Patrick Talbot, Health & Safety Policy Lead at Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT)
• Phil Hibberd, Engagement Manager at RSSB
• Sam Boucher, Health & Safety and Non Technical Training Manager at Freightliner Group

Learn Live News Channel & Rail Safe Friendly also aired a LIVE Rail Safety Broadcast to Western Route schools for Network Rail.

LNER’s executive team were on-train and paired up with H&S representatives talking to as many frontline teams as possible about their safety and environment concerns or suggestions. Their route covered included Inverness and Aberdeen as well as the major depots at Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds and Kings Cross. They also undertook a Service Vehicle Inspection Day at Kings Cross, with support from Hitachi and Northern Trains technical staff on hand to carry out any repairs. Plus a Depot Focus Day at Kings Cross, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh where representatives from the management team set up drop in clinics for staff to come and talk to them about all things safety and environment. See David Horne’s post here.

Loram UK conducted a series of safety-related conversations around their site in Derby and focused on the importance of incident reporting and using their ‘Safe or Stop’ procedure; building on proactive safety management.

Find out more about the conversations – led by Dean Humphreys (General Manager – Production Services) – via the links below:

• Learn about how one of Loram’s front line leaders, Jack Knowles, and his team plays a key role in their delivery for the Network Rail’s Side Tipper modification programme.
• Read how Adriana Bucur, who is office based and supports Loram’s production teams, plays a part in their workshop health and safety, continually improving Loram’s systems and processes relating to fatigue.
• Discover how Ryan Judge, a Continuous Improvement expert, utilises his Lean Six Sigma toolkit to implement standardised work processes to minimise defects, and reduce the chance of safety related incidents.
• Find out more about material movement and management at Loram and how Phil Smith, who manages their stores, tooling and facilities, ensures his team are safe.

In addition, Dean Humphreys and Carl Butlin (Assurance Manager) took to the shop floor to discuss safety in two of their workshops. Great to see senior staff and shop floor staff engaged in meaningful conversations around what safety looks like and what it means to Loram employees.

Their HR team and their T-level placement student also enjoyed getting stuck in with all things safety.

Lowery’s Director responsible for Safety, Ken Henson, kicked off their RSW activities by welcoming their newly appointed Group Head of HSQE, Suzanne Kay and highlighting their “Feel emPOWERed campaign”, which is aimed at promoting staff to feel empowered and to speak up on safety issues on site. This tandem approach resulted in Lowery sending everyone home safe every day, with zero harm on any of their worksites – including HV feeders, switchgear and substations – for a period of over 15 months.

During Rail Safety Week, First Rail held focus sessions with the Lumo team. Session 1 explored near miss and adverse event reporting and the importance of doing so. Then for session 2, PCSO Dean from the British Transport Police team in Newcastle joined them to discuss policing strategies, reporting and feedback with the team. Plus a lunchtime safety conversation around the importance of having a safety culture which encourages ‘psychological safety’ for everyone to champion their open and honest approach.

David Hughes of First Rail took the baton at Lumo as they continued engaging with their teams on their new safety team structure and responsibilities, along with listening to safety improvement ideas from their workforce. Reflections from David: “A key take away so far from Rail Safety Week for me is that these listening and awareness sessions need to continue so our teams are regularly informed of what we are doing, but equally given an opportunity to feed into our plans for safety improvements.”

Martijn Gilbert, First Rail Managing Director – Open Access Operations, who leads Hull Trains and Lumo, travelled on a few of their services including one to London from Newcastle and had proactive safety conversations with their Customer Drivers during the crew change ahead of departure, and then worked the trolley onboard with their Customer Experience Ambassadors whilst talking to both them and their customers about service and safety matters as part of Rail Safety Week.

Martijn also participated in a safety tour of the facilities they use with partners Diamond Rail Services and Rail Gourmet, plus a proactive safety chat with Grand Central Rail who help look after their customer support.

In addition, teams received a Rail Safety Week specific newsletter. An external auditor also engaged with their colleagues around their safety management systems.

Mane promoted #RSW23 and encouraged industry colleagues to get involved.

In light of #RSW23, McGinley Support Services (Infrastructure) compiled an essential guide to train and rail safety.

Members of their team had a great day at the Capital Delivery Civils Internal Delivery (CID) Safety Stand Down Day event in Stoke which promoted safety awareness and fostering a secure working environment.  It was an open platform for sharing experiences, learning, and reinforcing best practices that contribute to a safer work environment.

Their CEO also took the opportunity to recognise the hard work and dedication of their employees in ensuring safe railway operations. Their OHSE Director urged everyone to remain vigilant, report hazards and encourage a safety-first mindset across the railway industry.

Plus, their safety and delivery teams attended a lunch and learn hosted by Jules Reed, Head of Behavioural Science at Tended, on the hot topic of ‘Bridging the gap between human vulnerability and worksite safety’.

Merseyrail’s Safety Business Partner, Christopher Cunningham produced a safety code themed Victoria sponge for #RSW23!

Morgan Sindall Infrastructure used the 2023 Rail Safety Week as a platform to promote a health related focus across the MSI Rail business unit, including the health related benefits available to all their employees.

Summer Working and Skin Damage: Cases of skin cancer are on a relentless upward curve so they held briefings across their locations and shared a colleague, Andy Crago’s personal story through a video Andy kindly helped with.

Dust Hazards; Control and Protection: Drier and warmer weather brings elevated dust levels so they reviewed their approach to dust elimination and personal respiratory protection across all of their operational locations.

Personal Health and Support: Their Lifestyle Assessment data or output highlighted that too many have indicators of long term poor health risks so they offered 30 places on a 12 month personal assistance programme run by Reset Health who have amazing success stories in this field.

MPI’s MD Simon Henser got onto site to show his support for #RSW23. He undertook a joint safety tour with the Siemens installation and safety team on the Glasgow Barrhead Electrification / Decarbonisation Project.

Prior to getting on track he had a good catch up in the canteen at the Siemens Fullarton Drive depot with some of the MPI team – a mix of  experienced Installers and trainees – where they talked about rail safety.

Netball Scotland, alongside their partners at Network Rail, promoted the importance of rail safety for everyone and shared some facts about overhead lines and how far electricity can jump.

During Rail Live, ahead of #RSW23, Sean Leahy, a National Aerial Survey Specialist for Network Rail shared how they keep staff on the ground safe with their products such as RouteView. Watch the video.

On day 2 of #RSW23, the day that marked the sixth anniversary of the 11-year-old Harrison’s tragic death, they shared his mother’s call for more rail safety education as trespass incidents hit 18,500 for second year running.

Network Rail North West & Central ran events and activities at Manchester Piccadilly Station on 27 June and Liverpool Lime Street on 29 June. With over 500 goodie bags given and many interesting conversations.

Network Rail – Scotland’s Railway delivered rail safety talks to four of their partnership schools on the build up to Rail Safety Week and from these talks the schools have participated in various rail safety activities.

Their rail safety delivery partners (Scottish Football Association, Netball Scotland and Learn Live) supported the week by tweeting photos of activity / support.

They also relaunched their Rail Pastors Initiative on 29 June as part of #RSW23. It is a massive boost to the network and passengers having Rail Pastors present on certain routes!

Network Rail Southern had a whole raft of activity planned in conjunction with Southeastern, see Southeastern’s ‘What’s on’ blurb for more details.

Network Rail Wales & Western (Wales & Borders Route) did lots around stations for example litter picking on track and in public areas. On Friday 30^th June on Cambrian they had a full day with volunteers from the local community and the Talyllyn railway, together with wellbeing stalls on the station.

They also shared a new level crossing safety video with some key messages:

• Always ensure that you adhere to any signage and the warning lights
• Always make sure you take off any headphones and keep your dogs on short leads

Network Rail and Transport for Wales (TfW), alongside TfW Health and Safety Trade Union Representatives, took part in a ‘safer walk’ and ‘pest control safety walk’ at TfW’s rail fleet depot in Machynlleth as part of #RSW23.

Plus, as part of his commitment to Rail Safety Week, Nick Millington (Route Director at Network Rail) provided an update on national ‘Track Worker Safety’ and the Safety Taskforce at the RSSB HQ as part of the IOSH Railway Group Seminar. Read more here.

Tying into #RSW23 200 primary-aged schoolchildren got together at Shildon’s iconic Locomotion museum to learn about how to stay safe around railways.

Sessions were delivered by a range of rail industry partners, including Network Rail, BTP, Northern, CrossCountry, Railway Children and Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership.

New Terra Compliance shared how they are committed to ensuring that safety is at the forefront of everything they do by working closely with all their clients to promote safe working practices in and around the rail infrastructure.

Nexus delivered a range of assemblies and workshops in Primary, Middle and Secondary Schools across the week including:

• Trinity New Bridge Street (26/06)
• Lemington Riverside Primary (28/06)
• St Roberts of Newminster on Thursday (29/06)
• Hexham Middle School on (30/06)

North Notts & Lincs CRP wanted everyone to be able to say #IamTrainSafe during #RSW23 and signposted people to watch Network Rail’s film and take part in the quiz.

Octavius Infrastructure’s senior leadership team were busy hosting online and site-based workshops, including at their Trowbridge site, sharing how they keep safety at the heart of everything they do, including their STOPTHINK! Fundamentals and safety critical communications training.

ORR’s Ian Prosser talked about the health and safety challenges going forward and in CP7 at the Rail Safety Week launch conference. Ian was also interviewed alongside our conference by Learn Live for a broadcast into schools. Watch or listen to the recording on the Rail Safety Week Podcasts page of our website.

ORR also shared a series of videos and podcasts:

• Regulating health & safety across Britain’s railways – a look at their trainee inspectors.
• The importance of taking extra care around level crossings.
• The work ORR does with heritage railways – investigating incidents, co-operating with the Heritage Railway Association and the steps needed to improve safety.
• From inspections to investigations, find out what’s involved to ensure Britain’s railway remains one of the safest in Europe.

On Track Technicians spread the word about Rail Safety Week on their social media channels and encouraged organisations to get involved.

As part of #RSW23, One Big Circle showcased the collaborative work they’re delivering with Network Rail to help manage the safety risks associated with scrap rail. Using AIVR, they have been developing automated scrap rail detections throughout Wessex routes, helping to streamline the safe retrieval of these assets and reduce on site safety hazards.

During #RSW23, Injury Minimisation Programme for Schools (I.M.P.S.) shared Network Rail’s hard hitting You Vs Train video.

Suicide is the biggest killer of under-35s in the UK. But it really doesn’t have to be that way. During #RSW23, PAPYRUS shared with us a short video on the work they do to prevent suicide in the young.

For #RSW23, Platform Rail, a dynamic rail-education scheme connecting schools and young people to the rail industry:

• Arranged and led 9 train-trips for school groups (and no Rail Safety Week school trip is complete without the Arlo’s Adventures book!)
• Took 230 children and their teachers on those train trips
• Delivered to 400 students in workshops and events
• Attended a photo-call for a unicorn
• Released a new resource

25 parent / carer surveys asking what their child said about their #RSW23 train-trip and here’s the results!

Platform Rail also highlighted our Children’s Colouring Competition and handed out Backtrack Competition sheets.

Porterbrook shared how they are proud to be playing their part in several collaborative initiatives that are helping to improve safety across the network. Their project with Network Rail, One Big Circle Ltd, DG8 Design and Engineering and Machines With Vision addresses one of the highest risk assets in track engineering: switches and crossings inspections. Now, up to 50% of on-foot inspections are possible remotely using this new train-borne monitoring technology. Learn how it works.

Porterbrook also looked at how a risk-based approach, two-way communication across interfaces, and robust assurance arrangements can enable the safe delivery of projects; showcasing how the recent redevelopment of the Asset Management Facility at the Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre into a modern and versatile maintenance facility has resulted in:

• Zero safety events
• On-time delivery
• An open culture of reporting, enabling proactive actions to be taken to continually learn, and improve working methods and safety controls
• Collaboration across multiple organisations, enabling efficiency, consistency of approach, and a ‘one-team’ mindset

PWM UK highlighted the significance of their “Back to Basics” site briefing initiative, aimed at reinforcing fundamental health and safety practices across their worksites. Understand the purpose of this initative, the key focus areas and their call to action here.

Their Managing Director, Alex Murphy also attended the Rail Safety Week launch conference organised by Rail Forum in London.

To mark #RSW23, Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) shared a reminder of some of the safety themes they have identified through their recent investigations.

Rail Competence & Compliance’s Dave Brough is exploring business risk and competence at the Rail Safety Week launch conference.

Rail Engineering Solutions were proud to be a part of #RSW23. “Although safety in our industry is at an all time high, we are still proud to strive for even safer railways and rolling stock. Home safe every day.”

Lots of activity by the Rail Safety Week (RSW) team:

• Rail Forum, as the custodian of RSW on behalf of the industry, hosted the RSW launch Conference on Monday 26th June. Key recurring themes across the conference included using RM3 to drive safety improvements, making best use of technology, human factors and the importance of taking our people with us and the potential risks we face over the next few years as we lose significant numbers of people through retirement.
• Alongside the Conference, there were a number of short interviews filmed for broadcasting into schools with some of the guest speakers and industry representatives. These were filmed in collaboration with Stuart Heaton of Learn Live, the founder of Rail Safe Friendly. Interviewees included representatives from EMR, ORR, Community Rail, DfT, BTP, Shoosmiths, Tracsis, GBRTT, RSSB and Freightliner.
• We released a series of podcasts and videos during the week featuring some familiar faces in rail! These include:
  • A rail safety spotlight with Network Rail’s Andrew Haines and our own Elaine Clark.
  • A video of Rail Minister Huw Merriman MP
  • A powerful and impactful video urging everyone to keep their health and wellbeing as a priority featuring Wendy McCristal, Clive Humphrey, Heidi Lee, Tim Bentley and Donna Hoffman.
  • A podcast with Community Rail’s Karen Bennett and our own Jemma Smalls which explored the work Community Rail does around safety and a couple of the fantastic resources that are available.
• We ran two children’s competitions, a colouring competition and wordsearch. Winners of the competitions to be announced by the end of August!
• We are in the process of putting together a rail safety brochure which will be shared soon!
• We also engaged with and captured all the great activities and events held across the industry for #RSW23 – thank you to the 100+ organisations that got involved!

During #RSW23, Railway Children shared some videos showing how they work across the UK with communities and key partners in and around stations to ensure every child at risk on the network is seen, safe and supported. Learn more in their Q&A and find out about their Safe Guarding Action Groups.

During the week Railway Children supported Network Rail at stations events alongside further industry partners.

Members of the rail industry and partners, including Railway Children also delivered a rail safety workshop for 200 primary-aged schoolchildren at Shildon’s iconic Locomotion museum. Learn more about this event for #RSW23 here.

Railway Mission’s Mike Roberts got to Preston and Karen Schofield to Chester to share the message about how we use the railway safely.

Rhomberg Sersa reflected on their flawless safety record, boasting an accident frequency rate (AFR) of Zero over the past 12 months and an incident frequency rate (IFR) of 0.49; showcasing their ongoing efforts to minimise incidents, including near misses and minor injuries. Find out more.

RSS Infrastructure expressed how they prioritise safety in the rail industry and gave a teaser to an exciting announcement – some ground-breaking rail safety technology!

RSSB’s Ali Chegini outlined RSSB’s role in the industry, the challenges ahead and what they have planned for the future at the Rail Safety Week Launch Conference. Alongside the conference, RSSB’s Phil Hibberd was interviewed by Learn Live for a broadcast into schools. Watch or listen to the recording on the Rail Safety Week Podcasts page of our website.

They shared their Leading Health and Safety on Britain’s Railway (LHSBR) strategy. And in this episode of RED, they explored the common causes and risk prevention measures for PTI incidents.

RSSB also held their Operations Risk and Safety Conference on Thursday 29^th June in London. The programme touched on critical safety, operations and risk management issues.

In addition, they hosted the IOSH Railway Group Seminar covering engineering change and critical decision making, reshaping a culture, and learning from those ‘rare’ events.

RTS Solutions shared how their technology utilises data to increase safety in this article.

Safety Central, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service shared how special effects are their speciality and one of their best is the Safety Central train station. They use the station to educate people with regards to keeping safe whilst travelling, whether that is planning a journey or actually staying safe at the station.

The Samaritans joined Avanti West Coast, Network Rail, British Transport Police and Vital Human Resources at Lancaster station ahead of #RSW23 to help raise awareness of rail safety. Volunteers also supported Rail Safety Week at Preston station.

Scenic Rail Britain shared how they were proud to support #RSW23, promoting how, working in partnership with organisations from across the industry, Rail Safety Week focuses on rail safety for all.

ScotRail, Network Rail Scotland and BTP together reminded pupils at Stenhouse Primary School how to stay safe near the railway line.

Scotrail’s Angus shared the #RSW23 children’s colouring competition, see his fantastic colouring in of the specially designed artwork here.

Scotrail also shared how they won’t tolerate violence or abuse towards their staff. Many now wear mini CCTV cameras, the footage from which can be used in court.

Sensonic encouraged those with young children to use the brilliant Arlo’s Adventures book to teach them about rail safety.

Serco couldn’t let Rail Safety Week pass by without a shout out to their expert engineers in Rail Technical Services. They shared how their engineers love nothing more than tackling their clients’ challenges – providing consultation, data gathering and testing on rolling stock, the infrastructure and engineering projects. Discover how they are ‘Delivering Safety to the UK Rail Network’ in this article.

Lots of engagement with #RSW23 by Shoosmiths:

• Their Health and Safety specialist Hayley Saunders held a free webinar on ‘Personal liability and how you can make a difference to workplace culture’ – read their summary of key takeaways from the webinar.
• They hosted the RSW launch conference at their London office. Plus, following the presentation by BTP, Michelle, who is Partner at Shoosmiths, pointed her connections on LinkedIn to download BTP’s Railway Guardian app. This app is a really useful tool to collate information and send it to the authorities quickly, it also provides some really helpful guides and sources of information.
• Shoosmiths also facilitated the recording of some of our rail safety themed podcasts which were shared during the week. In addition, Michelle was interviewed alongside our RSW launch conference by Learn Live for a broadcast to schools. Watch or listen to all the #RSW23 podcasts.

Siemens had a great calendar of online learning events across the week using both internal and external speakers on a range of Safety, Health and Wellbeing, and Environmental topics.

Robin Gibson, Head of Environment, Health and Safety for Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, said: “Rail Safety Week is a valuable reminder for people across our industry that safety must be front and centre. That’s why we’re sharing the events available to our employees, and putting on extra ones too which focus on broader themes of wellbeing, environment and sustainability. This all contributes to building a safer future.”

All their offices, factories, depots and sites were given a list of “Why don’t you” for each day and were asked to pick at least one thing to do. They also provided a briefing to carry out with their frontline workforce on each day.

On the Monday of #RSW23, their Managing Director, Rob Morris recorded a video to give his personal view on how important the week is and to encourage participation from all. Their Head of EHS – Rail Infrastructure, Robin Gibson also recorded a video on the Friday to conclude the week and capture some of the amazing events that happened across their portfolio.

Their Yammer platform was buzzing with activity and updates throughout the week, capturing the good work going on.

South West Wales Connected (SWWC) encouraged everyone to prioritise safety during #RSW23 and shared some key messages:

• Trespassing on the railway is illegal and dangerous. SWWC highlighted the backtrack competition which is aimed at reducing the amount of trespass on the UK’s railways.
• Stand back from the platform edge, behind the yellow line.
• If you drop something on the track, leave it and contact a member of staff.

In addition, SWWC helped to promote an opportunity at Carmarthen station for a virtual reality experience of the dangers of being distracted around the railway.

They also promoted our Children’s competitions!

South Western Railway (SWR) had a wide range of activities and roadshows planned at various locations throughout #RSW23. Their leadership team visited various sites around the business to have safety tours and conversations. Their safety and security team also travelled around their network to meet with as many of their people who make a difference to their customers, sharing ideas and best practice.

Their themes for the week were:

Monday: Safety Week Kick Off

Tuesday: Station Crew Room Visits

Wednesday: Wellbeing Day

Thursday: Security & Safeguarding Day

Friday: Out Stations Day

In addition, underpinned by their 6 Golden Rules for Safety, employees received a Rail Safety Week specific newsletter.

Southeastern (SE) and Network Rail Southern (NR) had a whole raft of activity planned:

Safeguarding / Public Safety: Engagement with schools and young people from safety workshops at Whitstable Secondary school, including a visit using VR headsets, to workshops on rail safety at The TSTS (Travel Safe Travel Smart) railway centre for children in Margate. The TSTS in Margate is joint managed by SE and NR. The Beavers also visited on the Friday of #RSW23. An exciting event that was open to all was the 1^st public rail safety open day at Margate TSTS Centre on Saturday 1^st July!  At the open day there were 45 minute workshops on the hour, indoor activities and presentations.

Fire safety: With the latest risks of lithium-ion batteries and their recent ban, fire safety professionals from SE and NR joined forces to produce a webinar to inform colleagues. SE also presented at the RDG emergency planning group.

Engineering Safety: Across the week they conducted 45 minute sessions on hazard spotting exercises, stretcher exercises and pit rescue, as well as use of gantry and hoist demonstrations. Accompanying these activities, in their morning briefings key subjects such as fatigue, trespass and falls from height were covered.

Operational Safety: Emergency flashcards were available for all train crew to assist in out of course situations and emergencies. Plus a SPAD reduction workshop was held linking both SE & NR to investigate what actions they can take together or best practices they can share, to reduce the number of SPAD’s experienced.

Occupational Health & Safety / Wellbeing: A focus on stress and wellbeing at work including a Webinar designed for both NR and SE colleagues.

Southeastern’s Steve White also shared how he was pleased to see their approach to keeping customers and colleagues safe has been recognised through London TravelWatch’s scorecard ranking how companies are tackling antisocial behaviour on board services or at stations.

Throughout #RSW23, #TeamStory delivered Safety Step Up sessions on their sites, and within their offices to share lessons learnt and how they can continually improve their health and safety performance. See their map of activity here.

Story Contracting informed us that hand injuries are the number one cause of injuries on rail infrastructure!  Alongside QTS Group, BAM UK & Ireland and AmcoGiffen, in a Scotland’s Railway collaboration, they launched their ‘Safe hands campaign‘ to raise awareness of hand injuries and the types of works where injuries occur.

Tying into their activities for #RSW23, the Story Plant team proudly supported Network Rail’s Works Delivery York team at their safety stand down day at Holgate Depot. #TeamStory presented their OTP Fleet 360° camera system, giving everyone involved an understanding of what their RRV Operators see from the cab of the machine, and the importance of maintaining RRV exclusion zones. They also demonstrated their POS planning process using One Big Circle’s AIVR system to help their teams carry out their works successfully and safely out on site.

Talyllyn Railway Company were delighted to work alongside Network Rail during rail safety week to litter pick on and off the track at Tywyn.

During Rail Live, Andy Love of Technique Rail shared how they are proud to support Rail Safety Week.

Safety is an integral part of what they do, Technique Rail leverages rail approved industrial automation products and engineers them into applications. In this video, Andy shares an example which helps with safety.

On Thursday 29th June, Tended’s Head of Behavioural Science, Jules Reed hosted a webinar which explored how we can bridge the gap between human vulnerability and worksite safety.  An executive summary for the webinar below:

• Human error is inevitable and can be linked to a huge amount of workplace accidents, yet reliance is often still placed on human factors to prevent these incidents.
• Advancements in technology are bridging the gap between vulnerability and workplace safety, minimising the impact of human error on worksite safety.
• In addition to preventing accidents, this is improving safety culture, saving companies costs, supporting better reporting, etc. – changing the entire H&S landscape!
• Resistance from the workforce is normal, and you’ll need a rock-solid engagement plan to successfully integrate new technologies into the workplace.
• Tended is a safety start-up that focuses on bringing together technology with behavioural science to help reduce the impact of human error and improve safety in high-risk industries.
• As a partner of Rail Safety Week, Tended produced this webinar to help raise awareness of this initiative focussed on creating a safer UK rail infrastructure for all.

The entire presentation is available to view on LinkedIn, and the slides can be viewed here.

Tended were also one of our fabulous event partners for the Rail Safety Week Launch Conference. At this event, Tended’s Head of Business Development Damian Ciesielski gave an insight into how geofencing technology is the future of track worker safety.

As #RSW23 came to an end, Tended took a look back at some of the highlights from the initiative and reflected on what it means for the future of safety on the UK’s railway infrastructure. Read the blog here.

“If you have your health you wish for lots of things, if you don’t have your health, that is all you wish for.”

Wendy McCristal of The Mental Wealth Company introduced this video which contains three powerful stories from some familiar faces in our industry that encourages friends and colleagues from across the industry to prioritise their health.

Sharing their experiences were Clive Humphrey of WAGO UK & Ireland, Heidi Lee of DB ESG and Tim Bentley of Wabtec UK. Donna Hoffman of Inside Out Group aptly concluded the video.

Looking after ourselves is so important – you know your body, if you have any signs or symptoms that something isn’t quite right, please get checked out. Please take opportunities for health check-ups and please make sure you are keeping your health and wellbeing as a priority.

Take care,

Rail Forum / the Rail Safety Week team

The QSS Group’s Dave Holder provided valuable insights at our launch conference into unlocking continual improvement through RM3, shedding light on how we can enhance safety measures in the rail industry. The QSS Group were also one of our fabulous event partners for the conference.

Supporting Rail Safety Week, The Settle Carlisle Railway Development Company created a FREE personal safety pack for children which aims to educate young people on how to stay safe on the railway, as well as useful tools such as learning to read a timetable, in a fun way. These fabulous Personal Safety Activity Packs are distributed to schools and organisations in the community to promote the importance of rail safety, highlighting hazards and dangers that exist on the railway.

Tidyco, and their partner Parker, sponsored our fantastic Rail Safety Week mugs. In this video, Carl Eaton shared why Tidyco supported #RSW23 and outlined their contribution to safety in our industry.

Tracsis’ Chris Leech talked about the importance of Community Frameworks at the Rail Safety Week launch conference. Alongside the conference, Chris was also interviewed by Learn Live for a broadcast into schools. Watch or listen to the recording on the Rail Safety Week Podcasts page of our website.

Translink NI urged everyone to put up a strong defence against danger this summer; advising to never cross the tracks for a shortcut and to always stay behind the yellow lines.

In addition, they shared their new ‘Play It Safe’ campaign in partnership with Ulster GAA and the IFA.

Plus, some great engagement with young people:

• Pupils and staff from Glenlola Collegiate visited Bangor Station where Translink NI gave them a safety talk before they travelled by train to Lanyon Place.
• Students from St Gerard’s School visited Great Victoria St and were given an in-station safety talk. The pupils enjoyed seeing the trains and meeting staff.

On behalf of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, Ian Grainey, alongside Michelle Anderson of Network Rail (Eastern), presented at the Rail Safety Week launch conference. THey showcased the TRUST centre and all of the hard work that has gone into making it an industry leading programme / facility.

Transport for Wales’ safety team shared virtual reality experiences that showcased the dangers of being distracted around the railway at both Carmarthen and Swansea Stations

They also worked with industry partners to deliver a rail safety session on the train with students from Caersws and Barmouth.

Plus collaboration with BTP which included pop-up events at shopping centres for students, inspections of level crossings, adding new signage and sharing best practice.

TÜV Rheinland supported #RSW23 by promoting the Wordsearch competition to one of their local school classes – it was great to receive so many completed wordsearches as a result! TÜV colleagues also engaged young family members in the colouring competition!

Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership (TVCRP) delivered an assembly for a secondary school in Sunderland – Castle View Enterprise Academy. Fiona Forsythe, a Community Rail Partnership Officer from TVCRP, based her engagement with the school around the backtrack competition.

They also took delivery of some new Arlo’s Adventures bookmark pledge cards that they distribute to encourage children to sign up to be safe around the railways.

UK Tram shared how #RSW23 is the perfect time to prioritise everyone’s safety around the UK’s growing tram networks. They pointed people towards West Midlands Metro’s recently launched top tips for staying safe around the tramway which features animated videos from the Light Rail Safety & Standards Board.

Unipart Rail and Unipart Technologies Group supported Rail Safety Week by running the “safety selfie” program to share best practices.

They kicked off the Week with the team at Park Signalling by planning for the rest of 2023 and integrating their management systems.

Day 4 of #RSW23 saw Head of Environment, Health, Safety and Facilities out and about in Crewe. Elizabeth Hancock went on a ‘go see’ with a member of the Continuous Improvement team who they work closely with on all projects. They also caught up with the team on their last day of ‘IOSH Managing Safely’, delivered by Unipart Rail Environment, Health & Safety Manager Matthew Murphy.

Day 5 of #RSW23 involved the sharing of ideas with Unipart Logistics, along with a catch up with James MacPherson about concrete/towel sculpting, as well as a sneaky peek at Risk Assessor App.

Ahead of #RSW23, Victa Railfreight ran a Rail Safety Awareness course which contained bespoke modules designed specifically for railhead/terminal/port personnel who are required to work or walk on or near railway operations where slow moving trains operate.

At the start of #RSW23, at Dove Holes Quarry, Network Rail, Cemex, Victa Railfreight, DB Cargo and GB Railfreight reviewed the safety improvements made to the rail operation at one of the UK’s largest aggregate loading facilities. Steve Rhymes, Head of Network Management at Network Rail shared that “working collaboratively, several initiatives to deliver safer operations have been completed with much more to come.”

Vital Human Resources joined Avanti West Coast, Network Rail, British Transport Police and Samaritans at Lancaster station ahead of RSW2023 to help raise awareness of rail safety. Then during the week, they joined colleagues from Network Rail and Railway Children at Manchester Piccadilly Station to spread the rail safety awareness message and interact with commuters.

VolkerRail got involved in #RSW23 by hosting 12 Lunch and Learn events, attended by over 200 employees, focusing on a range of health and safety topics.

Sessions included:

• Their Building Relationships on Site initiative (BROS)
• Workforce safety
• Access (operational) planning
• Alliance principal contracting
• Health & Wellbeing session
• Fatal and severe risk – best practice sharing
• Quality culture
• Carbon and social value goals
• Slips, trips and falls
• Road risk
• Learning from the Clapham 1988 incident

WCL shared a variety of facts related to rail safety topics:

Electrification:

• Bi-mode trains, when in electric mode, have a deadly 25,000-volts running through the overhead wires along the railway at ALL times.
• Nine out of ten people die when they’re struck by electricity. Others are left with life-changing injuries, including burns and amputations.
• Electricity can jump up to 3 metres in some conditions (for example when it is raining).

Level Crossing Safety:

• There are countless near-misses and fatalities every single year between trains and level crossing users.
• There have been 20 accidental fatalities at level crossings around the country since April 2019.
• Level crossings are dangerous for not only pedestrians but cyclists, drivers and horse riders.
• It is vital that when using a level crossing we concentrate. Stop, look and listen. Check both ways before crossing. Understand the warnings (alarms, barriers and lights) and cross quickly in a safe manner.

Safety Awareness and Behavioural Safety:

• Regardless of the situation you may be working in and whether or not others may be in charge, it is your responsibility to be aware of your own personal safety in your surroundings. If you don’t feel safe, speak out.
•  If you are left to work alone, it is key that you still follow policies, procedures and safety precautions. They are there for a reason and to keep you safe.
• Fatigue is a major safety issue. Always ensure you have had enough rest before shifts and adhere to the Network Rail fatigue standard. Ensure you are well rested as this will reduce error rates, help you to react quickly to danger and reduce the likelihood of injuries and accidents.

Wherry Lines CRP shared their support, as well as Lowestoft Central and Bittern Line’s, for #RSW23 and promoted our rail safety themed children’s competitions.

Whitfield Consulting Services shared how they are pleased to support #RSW23, echoing how whether you work in the rail sector or use railways for commuting, safety impacts us all.

Work Wallet, supported by Freightliner, talked about how rail businesses can improve H&S by going digital at the Rail Safety Week launch conference. They were also one of our fabulous event partners!

And after showcasing their experience of going digital with their health & safety at the launch conference, Work Wallet were excited to announce that Freightliner has rolled out the Work Wallet ‘all in one’ safety software throughout the UK.

Yorkshire Coast CRP wanted everyone to be able to say #IamTrainSafe during #RSW23 and signposted people to watch Network Rail’s film and take part in the quiz.

They also shared how they work closely with Network Rail, Northern Rail, BTP and Community Rail to educate people, especially children about rail safety.

6VT CRP visited St. Catherine’s Primary School to teach them about keeping safe on trains and around train tracks in preparation for a trip. They helped spread the rail safety message with their Tracks and Trains game. 

As part of their rail safety project with the school, pupils in P1 were asked to design a simple poster to keep others safe. 6VT CRP and ScotRail gifted a family rail ticket as a prize.