The shield August issuu

The Shield

THE PAPER FOR RAIL PEOPLE IN THE SOUTHERN REGION

GREEN PLANT

Bomb Hole PREVENTING SLIPPING PAGE 6

ARE YOU A SAFE DRIVER?

SEE PAGE

ISSUE 09, AUGUST 2016

New excavator is better for the environment A ONE-of-a-kind gas-powered excavator is making waves at Dover.

The Dooson 380, a 38-tonne piece of plant can be powered by either gas or diesel, making it much better for the environment than diesel-only equipment.

Although only in the initial phases...

Continued on page 3 >>

A new station at Cambridge North PAGE 4/5

www.southernshield.co.uk

8

Mind matters PAGE 7

2 THE SHIELD ISSUE 09, AUGUST 2016

n o s r e P t s r Fi

IT IS a great pleasure to open this edition of The Shield. I was recently invited to join the Safety Leadership Team (SLT) and attended my first meeting in June. It was really refreshing to see the passion and vigour that exists in the SLT around safety. At Murphy our vision is to protect people, the environment and communities, no matter where we are or what we are doing. We call this ‘Never harm’ and it is something that I am personally committed to, I believe it fits in perfectly with the SLT vision of getting everyone home safe every day.

I think that this is also a good opportunity to recognise the recent wellbeing event that took place at the KIA Oval. Too often we overlook the ‘health’ part of health and safety and, as an industry, we see signifPETER WALSH, OPERATIONS DIRECTOR icant lost time and more serious events occurring as a result of ill health. TogethSOUTH, MURPHY

The Shield This paper is produced for:

er we need to address this and I’d personally like everyone to ‘take five’ for health over the next period.

I am always impressed by the skills and knowledge that exists within our teams who deliver on site each day, night, week and weekend. It is extremely important to remember the challenges we face can be large, but often the small things count just as much. In the last period, slips, trips and poor manual handling caused a number of our team to go home harmed from the workplace. As a result, I believe we should focus on our workplace. As we move into the full summer period, I’d like to challenge us all to target August as a ‘Never harm’ month.

I want us all to go home each day and night in the month unharmed. So, let’s keep speaking up, identifying those Close Calls and taking the time to consider our health to make this a good habit for us all.

HAND IN HAND WEARING the correct hand protection is important – it is, after all, there to stop serious injuries from happening.

This was highlighted in an incident at Stewarts Lane depot when an operative using a battery-operated reciprocating saw to cut a board accidently operated the machine’s switch, which caused the blade to touch his hand.

As he was wearing a pair of Cut 5 gloves, he only received a minor cut – it could, of course, been much worse.

He said that it proved the Cut 5 gloves were the correct gloves for the work he does.

This can be seen in the significant drop in hand incidents from 2014/2015, where there were 27 injuries to 2015/2016, where there were 10.

There are different Cut 5 gloves for all sorts of purposes and jobs, which featured in the December 2015 edition of The Shield and include TG562 Dynamic (ideal for mechanical and electrical work) and TG584 Sentry (great for sheet metalwork, construction trades, transport and engineering).

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I’VE LEARNED INSIDE GLOVE

OUTSIDE GLOVE

WHAT TO WEAR Hayden Woods “THE most important thing I have learned is that it is OK to question safety and not be afraid to challenge anyone who we think is acting in an unsafe way.

“There is nothing so important that the time can’t be taken for it to be done properly. If we have to spend time questioning whether a task can be done differently or more safely, then we should.

“If we see bad habits, then we all have the ability, tools and empower-

ment to question them and make it right.

“It is so important to make sure the correct procedures are implemented to get everyone home safe at the end of the day.

“From my short time so far at Osborne, the cultures and behaviours seem to run from bottom to top as well as top to bottom.”

Hayden Woods, Trainee Quantity Surveyor

TWO MEMBERS OF THE SOUTHERN SHIELD SAFETY LEADERSHIP TEAM – JANICE CRAWFORD FROM NETWORK RAIL AND JOHN DOWSETT FROM OSBORNE – VISITED A MURPHY SITE ON THE GOSPEL OAK TO BARKING LINE. THIS IS PART OF A WIDER INITIATIVE WHICH WILL SEE MEMBERS OF THE SLT VISITING OTHER COMPANIES’ WORKSITES TO LOOK AT SAFETY AND SHARE BEST PRACTICE

Written and designed by:

www.beetroot.co.uk

A NEW pocket-sized guide on the correct PPE you should be wearing at work has been launched.

The guide tells the reader the minimum PPE requirement on IP Southern sites, as well as offering advice on how to wear it correctly. It also gives information on how to risk assess the appropriate PPE for the task and environment you are working in.

If you would like a copy of the guide then simply email shield@networkrail.co.uk or, for a poster version, visit www.southernshield.co.uk to download.

SHARING BEST PRACTICE EVERYONE HOME SAFE EVERY DAY

TWO SLT members visited the Gospel Oak to Barking line site to see how they approach safety.

John Dowsett, Osborne’s Infrastructure Managing Director, said: “I was impressed by the positive and engaged culture on site. There are a lot of different contractors working there, but they were well integrated and worked well together. The project team are also open to continuous improvement. Following on from our visit, they are going to reassess how they mitigate risk when working on two different ground levels during the track lowering activity.”

ISSUE 09, AUGUST 2016 THE SHIELD 3

Continued from page 1 >> ...of the trial, it has been received well.

“There are various government incentives to improve emissions and fuel economy,” said Plant Operator Will Power. “You can switch between diesel and gas, and it really doesn’t affect the performance of the machine.

“It is the same machine but when it is runs on gas you get much better results in terms of economy and for the environment.”

The machine is mainly used to load the twice-weekly 1,000-tonne capacity train with the spoils leaving the Dover site.

“This allows me to do the job on my own in just a morning, rather than taking two people the whole day,” said Will.

“The environment is so important, and diesel is becoming increasingly more expensive, that the excavator is a great piece of equipment to have here. It saves a lot on fuel and is leading the way for sustainability on sites.

“I can’t wait to see what the future holds – maybe equipment powered by solar panels!”

RHYS TO THE RESCUE

DIGGIN’ THE DANCE MOVES DANCING and diggers aren’t normally words you would put together.

But for Will Power, dancing diggers are a real part of his life. Will operates diggers in synchronised performances to music often accompanied by human dancers. He has performed in shows in Britain and beyond.

Will said: “I was involved in a children’s TV show demonstrating the amazing things that a digger can do and then I was approached by a company who wanted to put on a performance that combined diggers and dancers in an urban dance show.”

Will then found himself performing in a piece called

Traction, which toured in the UK and Europe, and is currently performing in another show, Torque, where he recently performed in Coventry.

“To do just one 20-minute show, we rehearse all day, every day for a week, as people and machines are not meant to mix!” said Will.

“I must admit that it wasn’t something I wanted to be part of when I originally was asked. But I got real buzz from it, you really have to pre-empt the note in the music and the timing is so crucial. When the music and the direction all come together, it truly is phenomenal.”

And Will’s love of diggers doesn’t stop there. At

one time he was the director of a chain of theme parks in the UK called Diggerland, which allows children to have a go at using excavators and JCBs. “I helped create something where I could teach children about plant and help turn it into a career for the future,” said Will. “I could operate a JCB at eight years old but I began my construction career on the ground as I think it’s a necessary requirement for all plant operators so you can see both sides.

“Costain is a great place to work, we just gelled. I think that the company really appreciate the skill sets that each individual has.”

QUICK thinking Rhys Richardson was on hand to not only prevent something serious happening to a member of the public but to her dog as well.

COSS Rhys had arrived early for a pre-work inspection at Margate station when he heard a dog yelp.

“I saw a dog on the track and its owner was very distraught and even as I was going over to reassure her, she was trying to jump down,” said Rhys.“There was a real concern that the lady would get down to the track and fall, or that the dog could wander off and touch the live rail – both these scenarios could end in serious consequences.”

Rhys put in an emergency call to the signaller to put a block on all lines to platform 4. Once that was confirmed, Rhys went down onto the line himself to rescue the dog.

Once dog and owner were reunited, Rhys rang the signaller once again to get the lines open.

“It was a pretty big dog but I managed to get it back onto the platform with its owner,” said Rhys.“She was absolutely over the moon.”

want us to feature your team? Get in touch – shield@networkrail.co.uk

4

THE SHIELD ISSUE 09, AUGUST 2016

ON SITE

ON SITE

SUSTAINED EFFORT A brand new three platform station with sustainability at its heart is taking shape ahead of its planned opening next year

BHAGWANT SINGH – PLANT OPERATOR “We all do our bit and have tried to be as environmentally friendly as possible by recycling materials.

“It is important to work together to be both safe and sustainable – we all receive daily briefings to remind us of what the safety risks are.

“MyZone is a good reminder for everyone on site.

By having the alert go off when you are nine metres away, staff are aware of where the plant is.”

KANWALJIK SINGH – PLANT OPERATOR/BANKSMAN “All the staff come together to the site in one vehicle, which certainly helps by not having so many cars on the site and on the road.

“If we follow the site rules and keep safe then we can work as sustainably as possible.

“MyZone helps make people aware of all the machines that are around them, particularly behind them. When I am operating the equipment and I receive an alert, I know other pieces of equipment are nearby.”

PROJECT BRIEF THE FORMER railway sidings site at Cambridge North will serve a projected 3,000 passengers a day taking advantage of a whole new service to London.

Also being installed is a new car park and space for 1,000 bikes, with a capacity for double that, complete with solar panels, to provide power back into the grid.

“All the siding tracks and main platform works are nearly completed,” said Works Manager Dave Goodey. “The remainder of the track work will be done during a possession over Christmas and New Year.

“Where possible we are reusing and recycling all of the materials that were already in use on the site.

Even the old concrete will be crushed, graded and reused in the permanent works.”

VolkerFitzpatrick ensured that they only cut down the trees that were absolutely necessary for the work to take place, leaving the remainder as mature green areas and using the logs to create various habitats around the site.

VolkerFitzpatrick also made sure that: • Plants deemed of local significance were translocated and will be incorporated into the landscaping of the finished project • Log piles have been constructed near to the busway to facilitate the loss of invertebrate habitat • They helped the local community by donating labour and materials to nearby allotments.

“We encourage all of our staff to travel to work on one mini-bus, and all of the ballast used to construct the new sidings and Bay line was transported to site by train to eliminate extra road use,” said Project Manager Steve Balliston. “Part of our legacy here is to regenerate habitats and green areas.”

It is not just about sustainability at Cambridge North, it’s about innovation and safety as well.

MyZone, a plant operative separation zone, is in use across the site.

Every member of staff and visitors to site has a receiver fixed to their hard hat and a transmitter is fixed to the plant. If the wearer gets within nine metres of the plant then the hat vibrates to warn them of the danger of the moving plant near them.

Never enter the agreed exclusion zone un

ISSUE 09, AUGUST 2016 THE SHIELD 5

E JACK TAME – INDUSTRIAL TRAINING PLACEMENT STUDENT “We reuse as much material on site that we dig up from the ground and the bits that we can’t, like track or sleepers, go back to Network Rail to be recycled.

“Any hazardous materials are also recycled in the proper way, which is important so no one is harmed.

“I have seen systems like MyZone before and I think it’s a good thing. I would like to see it developed further so we can use it to look at data trends.”

nless directed to by the person in charge

SANDIP SINGH – SUPERVISOR “Protecting the environment was a big thing at the beginning of the project. We only cut down the trees that were necessary and kept as many as we could, as well as protecting the wildlife.

“I think sustainability and safety goes hand in hand. Even while doing our best to protect the environment around us, we must always be safe – anything can go wrong.

“If MyZone is used properly it is particularly useful when staff have been on site for a long time. You get so used to it, that it’s easy to forget that there are dangers all around you.”

MyZone MyZone is a personal vibrating alarm, worn inside the hard hat, alerting site workers to a real and immediate danger and allowing them to take evasive action before possible injury.

Transmitters are attached to all moving plant on site, from 360 excavators to dump trucks. The vibrating alarm goes off to warn staff on site if they walk within the danger zone of the plant or if the plant enters their zone, which is important, particularly if staff are working and concentrating on the job at hand.

MyZone is a good way of involving all site staff in the site safety culture and increasing awareness. It is also a good way of making safety at work personal rather than relying on the actions of others to avoid incidents or injury.

6 THE SHIELD ISSUE 09, AUGUST 2016

CUTTING EDGE A SAFETY-CONSCIOUS Costain team pulled out all the stops to ensure a section of chalk face cutting would not slip.

The cutting, known as the Bomb Hole between Higham and Strood stations in Kent, was stabilised with rock bolts and mesh with catch fences being installed as a secondary fall protection.Work was carried out using specialist rope access with all workers being IRATA trained.

“The site is in between two tunnels and used to be a canal. Water used to come through the tunnels before they were relined many years

ago and changed from a canal to rail tunnels,” said Costain Site Manager Darcy Coe.“This was about preventing cutting failures and anything from happening as there is a substation down there and high speed trains going through.

“The three main hazards we managed on site were the high-speed trains, our guys working at height and the third rail proximity.”

There was a possession over the late May bank holiday to install the catch fencing and remove vegetation. This allowed all subsequent work to be carried out efficiently via rope access

rather than track. Night-time work also took place early in the project.

The site was accessed via a farmer’s field, where we negotiated temporary space for the site facilities to be set up.

“We had to be very careful to protect the land and we ensured the field was returned to satisfactory and sustainable standards,” said Darcy.

“The whole project went very well. In around 5,800 man hours we had no accidents or incidents.”

GLASS ACTS

60 SECONDS

IN EACH issue, we hand over a pair of Bollé safety glasses to colleagues who have made an outstanding contribution to safety.

Chris Pettitt, from HVMS, was awarded his pair of glasses for his sound knowledge of the Life Saving Rules.

He was able to name all the rules through telling a story of his travelling to work, his day and then returning home again.

Construction Manager Paul Judge was really impressed with the way he had found to remember the rules and presented him with the safety glasses.

The Southern Shield Lifesaving Rules poster (below) is available on the Southern Shield website, visit www.southernshield.co.uk to find yours.

HAVE YOU SEEN A COPY OF THIS POSTER? ON THE back of the health and wellbeing Southern Shield event, this poster highlights how bowel cancer can affect you, your family and friends around you.

So don’t die of embarrassment and put this poster up at depots and sites near you so others know what symptoms to look for.

For your copy email shield@networkrail.co.uk or visit www.southernshield.co.uk to download.

Costain Works Manager John Kenny

THE SHIELD: Explain safety in 10 words or less.

JOHN KENNY: The ability to feel totally comfortable in your working environment.

TS: What unsafe act would you banish forever?

JK: Any operation that involves people having to work from delivery vehicles without adequate edge protection or fall restraint system being in place.

TS: What is the best safety motto you have heard?

JK: Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

TS: What is the best piece of innovation you have seen recently?

JK: A power pack mounted on caterpillar tracks so it can be self-driven and removes the need for any lifting or manual handling.

NEW PROTOCOL THE NEW Southern Shield Track Access Protocol is now available and will become mandatory from 1 September 2016.

The original Track Access Protocol was introduced in 2014 following a serious incident where 10 operatives mistakenly walked along an open DC electrified line.

If you would like any information about the new protocol, contact shield@networkrail.co.uk

THE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS 90 peopleDOWN didRAIL notFOR getLIVES– home safepage last year STAND SAFETY - page 8 8

HEALTH and wellbeing was at the top of the agenda at the latest Southern Shield event.

Held at the Oval on 21 July, 300 attendees saw several presentations including one about the effects of drugs and alcohol given by Lindsey Smith, a Substance Misuse Consultant.

The audience were also very engaged with a session given by Dr Kevin Dutton, a research psychologist who educated the delegates on a high-performing mindset.

The enthusiasm and feedback from the event was superb, with staff gaining a new insight into physical and mental wellbeing.

Turn to page 7 to hear from Matt and Bryan, who shared their experiences with mental health.

ISSUE 09, AUGUST 2016 THE SHIELD 7

RAIL LIVES

“YOU ARE ENTITLED TO LIVE A GOOD LIFE” Two colleagues speak out about their experiences with mental illness

Opening up to friends and colleagues helped Matt Kent face up to his illness.

In 2011, things had reached a new level of dreadful for Matt.

He was so ill, with what was eventually diagnosed as bipolar, that he was struggling to cope, particularly at work.

That’s when he opened up to colleagues.

“This was a major step forward for me as I was scared to death that all people would see was that I was weak and incapable or I might lose my job because of this,” said Matt, a Business Improvement and Engagement Specialist who works with Network Rail. “I still find it incredible how wonderful people can be once they know what is going on.

Great relief

“It truly was a feeling of great relief in not having to put on the brave face anymore. It is a struggle to explain how absolutely exhausting it became just trying to cover this up.

“I wound up taking time off and was able to get back on my feet with specialist care. After a couple of months, I was able to return to work in a way that suited me.”

Matt had gone through many bouts of depression in the lead-up to 2011, when he was diagnosed with bipolar, which he describes as long periods of

moods spanning between oblivion and euphoria.

Effects

For Matt, just some of the effects of the condition included not sleeping, or sleeping for only a few hours a night and taking on too much work and commitments. He also found he was speaking and processing information at a much higher rate than normal, making it difficult for others to follow.

He also had extremes of heightened self-importance and feeling so low that it would be easier to give up.

“I still have struggles and expect I always will. To the best of my knowledge, there is no absolute cure for what I have,” said Matt. “I could not have wished for more in terms of how my colleagues, friends and family helped me get through to standing on my own two feet again.”

Matt also believes that creating a working environment where talking about mental health is common and acceptable is a great starting point for helping those who are suffering.

He added: “If you are suffering in silence, please take my advice and allow yourself to benefit from my very real experience by confiding in somebody you can trust to help you. You are entitled to live a good life, ask for what you

If Matt and Bryan’s stories have affected you, visit www.mind.org.uk or www.anxietyuk.org.uk for advice and more information. Or contact Matt on mewk@mac.com or Bryan at bryan.lane@bcmconstruction. co.uk to talk in confidence.

need. Find the strength to prioritise and protect you.”

Overcoming a breakdown led Bryan Lane to speak out about his experiences with anxiety.

It was one of the worse times in Bryan Lane’s personal and professional life.

As well as dealing with the bombshell of his son being diagnosed with cancer and the after effects of the breakdown of his previous marriage, he went on to develop an ongoing health problem of his own.

On top of this, Bryan had a lot of stress in his job at the time. A long commute between the office and home, and a manager who made things very difficult for him at work, eventually took its toll when he suffered a breakdown in March 2010.

“I wasn’t in a good place. My wife took me to see the doctor, I was put on antidepressants and told to go home and do nothing while the medication started to take effect,” said Bryan, Project Manager at BCM Construction. “Around six weeks later, having been diagnosed

with anxiety, I started to look into recovery. It took me five years to recover – I fully came off the antidepressants in January 2015.

Triggers

“I lead a normal life now but will always live with anxiety. I now understand the symptoms and what triggers it. When certain things start happening, I know what I need to do.

“Quality is very important to me – I like to know that everything I do is the best it possibly can be. And my manager at the time didn’t do things by the book which caused a lot of problems for me.

“Since speaking with a psychiatrist during my recovery, I have discovered that I have OCD tendencies, which can be linked to the high standards I set for myself and cause self-induced stress.”

After a short career break from mid2013, Bryan returned to the rail industry as a project manager in 2015.

“It was completely the right decision,” said Bryan.“I am aware of the things that trigger my anxiety, so I try to ensure I

EVERYONE HOME SAFE EVERY DAY

Any stories? Email theworks@networkrail.co.uk

don’t get too tired or stressed, limit my caffeine and alcohol intake and, most importantly, maintain the work/life balance. This is the most crucial thing as working all hours of the day and not having a break is really not good for you and those around you.”

Open

He believes that one of the worst things someone who is suffering with a mental illness can do is isolate themselves.

This is all too common in our society where there is a stigma surrounding mental health.

Bryan hopes this stigma can be eroded over time.

He said: “Don’t ignore it or bury yourself in it. It is so important to talk with the people you are closest with – either at home or work – and tell them how you are feeling.

“As a society, we don’t always get things out in the open, but I believe that we should be open with our friends and colleagues about mental health issues – we owe it to ourselves.”

8

THE SHIELD ISSUE 09, AUGUST 2016

STAND DOWN FOR SAFETY The Driving Safety Stand Down allowed staff to talk about the vital importance of safe driving – it could mean the difference between life and death It’s a sobering thought, in the past five years 12 colleagues have been killed on the roads.

To help stop this from happening, every member of staff across Network Rail took part in a 90-minute session on driving safely, as part of Driving Safety Stand Down from 11 to 31 July.

Teams held briefings to talk about how they could work together to prevent deaths and injuries on roads.

Network Rail owns a fleet of 2,935 vehicles, with its people driving around 128-million miles every year. Of course, it’s much more than that if you factor the amount of miles for all those who drive to and from work.

Here is an example of just one incident from IP Southern:

Others around you

A COSS working for Osborne was involved in a road collision travelling home after his shift.

He was hit by a car travelling in the opposite direction at speed after exiting a sharp lefthand bend.

He was treated at the roadside for a suspected broken arm and was taken to the Dorset County Hospital for further treatment. He had to take

several weeks off work to recover from an operation and was in severe pain.

Although, in this case, the COSS was not at fault, it is important to always be aware of other road users who may not be driving as safely as you.

National Road Victim Month

It’s not just in July where the focus has been on road safety. The National Road Victim Month, set up by RoadPeace, is held every August to remember all those who have been killed or injured on the roads.

The campaign serves as an opportunity to raise awareness to make our roads safer.

When are accidents most likely to happen?

● On long journeys on monotonous roads – like

motorways

● Between 2am and 6am or 2pm and 4pm

(especially after eating or taking even one alcoholic drink) ● After having less sleep than normal ● After drinking alcohol ● If taking medicines that cause drowsiness

Safety in numbers

● After long working hours or on journeys home

after long shifts (especially night shifts).

Fatigue

Driver fatigue is a serious issue among those who drive to and from work. Around 300 people are killed as a result of drivers falling asleep at the wheel every year, and around 40 per cent of sleep-related accidents involve commercial vehicles.

Remember to:

● Plan your journey to include a 15-minute break

every two hours

● Don’t start a long trip if you are already tired ● Share the driving if possible. If you start to

feel sleepy, find a safe place to stop – NOT the hard shoulder of a motorway ● If you start to feel sleepy, drink two cups of coffee or a high-caffeine drink and rest for 10 to 15 minutes to allow time for the caffeine to kick in ● The only real cure for sleepiness is proper sleep. A caffeine drink or a nap is a short-term solution that will only allow you to keep driving for a short time.

According to the Department for Transport, in 2015…

On average, there were

5

fatalities on Britain’s roads each day And

1,732 fatalities Of these

567 were in the southern region In total

22,137 Never use a hand-held or hands-free phone, or programme any other mobile device, while driving

Never work or drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol

Always obey the speed limit and wear a seat belt

people were seriously injured on Britain’s roads

What do you think? Get in touch – shield@networkrail.co.uk