The Shield
THE SAFETY NEWSPAPER FOR RAIL PEOPLE
DON’T LET CHANGE BE A DANGER! SEE PAGE
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ISSUE 39, NOVEMBER 2023
ARMED WITH NEW TECH Geofence device is a potential lifesaver A NEW piece of body-worn safety kit is helping track workers stay within safe limits. Geofence warns the user with a light, vibration and a loud alarm signal if they step outside of a virtual boundary on site. It’s already providing a valuable extra layer of protection on rail sites in the Southern region. Read the full story on page 7.
Protect and prevent PAGE 3
On site: South Croydon PAGE 4
southernshield.co.uk
Meet the safety coach PAGE 8
2 THE SHIELD ISSUE 39, NOVEMBER 2023
First Person WELCOME to the latest issue of The Shield. In this edition, there’s a focus on some of the ways we are embracing technology to offer additional protection to track workers. Whether it’s the satnav-style precision of the geofence system (see page 7), or cameras that monitor track defects (pages 4 and 5), anything that can reduce the risks of accidents is a welcome step. It is pleasing to see the increase in use of these additional protection measures. This is crucial to protect our people and we must continue to support, remind and embed safer ways of working wherever we can. Of course, technology can only go so far. Good safety habits and the right behaviours
on site are the key to everyone getting home safe. On page 8, one of our expert safety coaches explains how he works with on-site teams to ensure the very best safety practice. Incidents do still occur though, and across the Region are seeing an increasing number of accidents associated with lifting as well as contact injuries with hands, fingers and arms. Please remember to maintain exclusion zones and be especially careful to keep limbs and digits out of harm’s way. Finally, as Autumn approaches, please be aware that as the weather changes and it gets dark earlier, we historically we see a comparative rise in accidents at this time of year. Take extra care when moving around on site and take steps to avoid slips, trips and falls.
David Smith, health and safety director (Southern)
The Shield ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER This paper is produced for:
ACTORS will play a leading role in new, dramatised safety training sessions with a serious message. As part of a programme launching later this year, actors will play out various safety incidents on a series of sets designed to resemble a depot, mess room or track section. Once each story is told, delegates from Network Rail and tier one suppliers will discuss how the characters’ actions contributed to the incident, and what they could have done to prevent it. David Smith, health and safety director (Southern) said: “Delegates will go away with a better understanding of how their actions can impact the safety of themselves and those around them. The aim is to increase awareness of how our behaviour can impact safety, and how even seemingly minor issues can snowball into catastrophic consequences.
“We expect people to come away feeling more aware of potential issues and to understand how they can intervene to influence a positive outcome.” An earlier, pilot version of the course proved a hit with supply chain colleagues. Kate Rainsbury from GS Moore Roofing said: “Our team said how they dread training days like this but in fact it was one of the best that they have attended. They said acting out scenes was a great way to deliver the training and made it feel like real life. They learnt a lot from the day.” The venue for the sessions, part of the Care programme (formerly known as Beta), is still to be confirmed. Anyone interested can email Jessica James at jessica.james@networkrail.co.uk for more information.
WELL WORTH IT
ONE of the rail industry’s most important health and wellbeing events takes place between 7-9 November. Rail Wellbeing Live, a three-day virtual event, features a range of special guests – including Davina McCall and Sir Steve Redgrave – and more than 40 sessions, covering everything you need to
boost your health and wellbeing. It has been designed especially for the needs of rail workers and is FREE to attend! Places are snapped up quickly but there may still be a chance to register. To sign up, scan the QR code or visit rwl2023.co.uk
Davina McCall
Sir Steve Redgrave
HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE SHIELD
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THE Shield has been bringing you news, features and safety advice for eight years now, earning praise – and a couple of awards – along the way. It’s one of the most important ways of sharing news with workers across Network Rail’s capital delivery supply chain in the Southern region. That’s why we want to know what you think of it, and get your feedback about what could make The Shield even better. Scan the code to have your say.
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ISSUE 35, DECEMBER 2021
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SAFETY FIRST FOR FESTIVE WORK RAIL workers will once again be out in force this festive season to complete vital upgrades to the track and infrastructure. One key piece of work will be a 10-day blockade of on a 1.6 km stretch of railway at Clapham High Street, where 14 point-ends will be renewed, the conversion of a switch-diamond to a fixed-diamond and 930 yards of plain line renewal. As well as renewing life-expired assets, the work is also a critical enabler for the Victoria 5 re-signalling project, due to take place in 2024. It’s a job which requires attention to detail to keep everyone safe. “This is an important project, which will provide significant improvement to asset reliability along a critical commuter route,” says George Murrell, programme director (track) Southern. “All our projects follow a meticulous planning routine to control each risk and ensure the project is executed safely. We understand the work will generate noise, so we will implement specific control measures to reduce disruption to lineside neighbours across the festive period.” There have already been many months of designing, planning, developing, and communicating to make sure that everyone is brought into the risks and the control measures. “We ensure everyone has an opportunity to voice their ideas and concerns, so that we reduce or even eliminate risks through design,” says George.
Check and challenge
Specific risks on site will include heavy plant, including excavators and a 150-tonne crane, which calls for clear communication, well-marked exclusion zones, detcom systems and vigilant operators. Bad weather also must be prepared for, and careful fatigue management is also part of the plan. With constant changes on site, regular team and individual briefings are vital. “We’re constantly assessing, reassessing and briefing as the conditions and environment will be changing hour by hour,” adds George. “We can’t afford to get it wrong, so we check and challenge at every step.”
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ISSUE 39, NOVEMBER 2023 THE SHIELD 3
ADDITIONAL PROTECTION:
IT ALL ADDS UP Improved safety measures across our network, that go above and beyond Tried and the traditional line block, are set to reduce risks faced by trackside workers tested IN THE past, we’ve used a variety of safety controls, from unassisted red zone working – where trains continue to pass the work site, while a colleague with a flag alerts the work crew – to complete line shutdowns. Unassisted working has often been our ‘go to’ approach, especially for work at short notice, but the risks posed by human error are undeniably higher. Using additional protection in addition to a line block is now the default way of working. Compared to unassisted working, additional protection offers track workers extra peace of
mind. Forms of additional protection include: manual TCODs (track circuit operating devices), cables connected to the rails which activate track circuits to show a section of line is blocked • ZKLs, a semi-permanent form of TCOD which can be operated remotely via a mobile phone or tablet app. These are safer because they reduce the need to approach the rails to place or remove the cables • Signalling disconnection, where a technician physically disconnects signalling equipment to block a section of line • Lockout devices (LODs), set up within the
signalling system, to keep trains out of worksites. Work is ongoing to improve availability of additional protection. “Roll out of remote disconnect devices is set to begin later this year,” says Network Rail track worker safety project manager Jess James. “ZKL installation continues to roll out alongside other initiatives like T3D, which is a new type of additional protection for possessions. “There’s also a region-wide focus on training for additional protection to ensure everyone feels confident applying additional protection.”
Some of our contractor colleagues have been using additional protection for years, for example in the Southern region. “We banned unassisted working 10 years ago and have been actively pushing the use of additional protection outside of exceptional circumstances for many years,” says Jim Dineen, contracts manager, Dyer & Butler Ltd. “When improvements to how we work on the railway are proposed, we engage with the industry early and ensure our people trained as quickly as possible so we can all pull together to operate in the safest possible manner.”
Stats fantastic
The numbers show that additional protection is being readily adopted by supply chain partners. In week 28 (September 2023), 38 of the 62 line-blocks across capital delivery in Kent, Sussex and Wessex, included additional protection. In Wessex, 21 of the 27 line-blocks had some form of additional protection. Across capital delivery and works delivery, 63 per cent of line blocks used additional protection.
Asante Lawla, a technician at Dartford DU, demonstrates how to use a TCOD
SITE SAFETY TRIAL CROSS PURPOSE AN IDEA to improve trackside safety begins a six-month trial in October. The project – Worksite X with an ES – is a new way of working that could save lives. When working in possessions, but between established worksites, rail workers currently have to rely on a system of lookouts, to warn track crews if an engineering train is coming. But with Worksite X with an ES, an engineering supervisor (ES) works closely with the person in charge of possession (PICOP) to
hold engineering trains before they reach the work areas. It means engineering trains or on track machines cannot leave a standard worksite until an agreement is reached with the PICOP and the ES for Worksite X, that all work in the area has been stopped to allow the passage of the train. Most activities which would normally require a line blockage, can be carried out during the trial. Exceptions are ‘intrusive works’ such as structural repairs to bridges, or works which require an isolation –
which should be planned in the established worksites. “We’re trying to move people from a warning environment to a protection environment,” says Ray Clarke, programme manager and safer trackside working lead. “If a train wants to come through the Worksite X area, it will be held until everyone working in Worksite X is in a position of safety.” The trial is taking place in Sussex, then Kent and Wessex, with contractor colleagues being briefed about how it works ahead of the rollout.
MOVING away from red zone working is helping keep track workers safer but it can also add complexity to jobs, particularly where access is required. It’s among the reasons Network Rail is identifying possible locations for Planned Crossing Points (PCPs) across the region. These are specific sites, risk-assessed according to a set of strict criteria enabling teams of up to four, to safely cross the line without the need to contact a signaller. The idea is to use similar safety assessment criteria to those used for the public, at a level-crossing
Always use equipment that is fit for its intended purpose
for example. This would enable competent, authorised track workers to use their own vigilance to cross at a specified location, rather than have to contact a signaller to take a line block, every time they need to cross. Once established, the points will be listed as an asset and in the National Hazard Directory for workers and teams to use. Trials of the PCPs will take place once suitable sites have been identified and assessed. If contractors wish to request PCP locations, they can contact jessica.james@networkrail.co.uk for more details.
4 THE SHIELD ISSUE 39, NOVEMBER 2023
ON SITE Repair of a damaged crossing was a key part of the work
X
The Shield visited crossing repair work at South Croydon to see why safety is much more than a matter of routine
MARKS
THE SPOT
THIS MAY have been a routine maintenance job but, when it comes to safety on the railway, nothing is taken for granted. The work near South Croydon station included a variety of track improvements, including repair of a defective crossing. It was carried out during a weekend T3 possession. Although the work was straightforward, a combination of detailed pre-planning, along with clear communication and briefing on site are what helps keep everyone safe.“We have road rail vehicles on site lifting rails and ballast into place, as well as manual track trolleys, rail saws and welders,” says track maintenance engineer Ade Ajimobi. “So every job and task is thoroughly planned, risk assessed and a safe system works put in place for it. Then we ensure everyone is correctly certified and briefed.”
Ade Ajimobi
Working without gloves was permitted for some detailed work on the crossing repair
Always be sure the required plans and permits are in
ISSUE 39, NOVEMBER 2023 THE SHIELD 5
Moving road rail vehicles were among the hazards
SAVING LIVES CULTURE CHANGE
TECHNOLOGY is becoming an increasingly important part of our work. At the South Croydon worksite, a key piece of safety tech was a small remote motoring camera (pictured above). Placed next to the damaged crossing when the defect was first reported in early September, the camera sent images back to maintenance engineers, enabling them to keep tabs on its condition, before carrying out repairs. Ade says: “That meant we didn’t need a watchman out on track every day to inspect it. It’s another way we keep people out of harm’s way.”
TRACK maintenance engineer Cameron Evans (right) carries a painful reminder of the dangers of working on the railway – and how much safety has improved in recent times. Several years ago, he badly damaged his foot when a loose piece of metal fell from the side of a truck that he was loading tools onto. His injury still requires treatment and serves as a reminder of why any measures to tighten safety are to be welcomed. He also recognises the change in safety culture that has transformed the way we work on the railway. He recalls: “When I first started, we didn’t wear orange trousers, it was jeans and just a vest. You would take your hard hat off if it was too hot, and you would just crack on with the work. There was no such thing as additional protection – you could go out on track quite easily with trains still running. Safety wasn’t taken as seriously then. “The change in culture has been for the better. It is much safer and there’s far less chance of people getting injured than there used to be.”
n place, before you start a job or go on or near the line
During similar routine maintenance work at nearby Norwood Junction, a series of TCODs (track circuit operating devices) were used as an additional protection measure. “We map out all the TCOD locations and mark the ground ready for a team to go out ahead of the work and place them,” explains track maintenance engineer Cameron Evans. “It’s an extra piece of work but it is definitely more reassuring to know that your team has that additional layer of protection in place, which is potentially saving lives.”
Worksite limits are clearly marked
Safety checks are an important part of every job
6 THE SHIELD ISSUE 39, NOVEMBER 2023
HOW NOT TO FALL OFF THE BACK OF A LORRY Top tips to avoid taking a tumble when working on flatbed road vehicles
IT’S not only rail vehicles that carry a risk, there are numerous safety aspects to consider when working on and around road vehicles as part of a project. Here, Sam Purcell, health & safety manager for Capital Delivery Southern, Signalling & Track, provides some top tips on how to stay safe while working at height on flatbed lorries. There is a clear hierarchy of fall protection measures as stipulated in the Health and Safety Executive’s Work at Height Regulations 2005.
1
The first and best solution is to avoid working at height at all where possible. Actively seek alternatives. Can the task be done at ground level?
CHANGE CAN BE A DANGER GETTING rail projects done on time means passengers can get moving, or more goods can be delivered. Completing on schedule can never be at the expense of safety though – the two should go hand in hand. However, there have been a number of accidents where people
striving to get things done have performed tasks that are beyond their competency, or without the right supervision or safety checks. Recent incidents include a worker injuring their arm after it was struck by part of an excavator being operated by someone without the right competency. In another, a
parked car was badly damaged during unplanned unloading of a lorry without a banksman. “Often those working on track have had to deal with unexpected change and may have felt pressure to get the job done,” says Tim Walden, capital delivery director. “It’s natural to think ‘it’s just a
Why getting a job done must never come before safe working little extra job’ but sometimes trying to do the right thing may get you, or someone you work with, hurt. “Always ask for help, don’t try to be the hero and do it all alone. Remember: planning and doing tasks properly might seem to take longer now, but it will save time in the long-run.”
THESE TOP TIPS WILL HELP JOBS RUN SMOOTHLY AND SAFELY, EVEN WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGE
Review the plan ahead of time and stick to it.
If changes are required, Take Five and think through all possible impacts. Do you need more people, resources or time? Discuss changes with your team, as they might have valuable insight.
Don’t make the call by yourself – follow your local change/ escalation procedures to involve others in the decision.
Don’t be pressured. We have support to miss deadlines rather than increase risk through unplanned alterations.
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Where ground level work is not possible, use ‘collective’ means of prevention – such as guardrails.
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If this is not possible, use personal means of prevention. This could be as a restraint system that restricts movement of the individual, so they are unable to reach the edge of the flatbed.
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The next step, where appropriate, would be the use of airbags or mats to safely cushion any falls.
5
If none of the above is possible, use a personal fall protection system such as a work positioning system or fall arrest system such as swinging arm fall arrest anchor point. In addition to all of the above, contractors must provide training and instruction or take other measures to prevent anyone falling far enough to cause personal injury.
NEVER UNDERTAKE ANY JOB UNLESS YOU HAVE BEEN TRAINED AND ASSESSED AS COMPETENT
ISSUE 39, NOVEMBER 2023 THE SHIELD 7
DO FENCE ME IN Virtual barrier will be a lifesaver
WORKING on or near the railway is one of the highest risk activities of any industry. And safety stats tell us that 20 percent of near misses involve track workers moving from a position of safety into one of danger without realising. That’s why Network Rail has introduced new tech, called geofence. Geofence is a system where a piece of body-worn kit warns the user when they step outside of planned, safe working limits. As the name suggests, it is a virtual boundary. Once the wearer crosses that boundary, the kit provides an unmissable three-pronged alert, with a light, vibration and a loud alarm signal. In order for it to work, the geofence barrier is mapped out during the planning phase of work. Thanks to modern satellite technology, the area can be precisely drawn with millimetre accuracy. The user’s device, a little larger than a smartphone and worn on the arm, can then identify when the wearer steps out of that perimeter – even by a few centimetres. Geofence has already been tested on live inspections on the Southern region, where frontline colleagues have given it the thumbs up. Workforce, health, safety and environmental advisor Steven Edwards is among those singing its praises – and with very good reason. “We had an incident in Surbiton, where a colleague of ours, a friend to a lot of people, strayed momentarily from where he should have been and that cost him his life.
“Of course, we can’t say that if he had been wearing this it would not have happened, but it might have made the difference. That’s why we were so keen to get hold of this technology – it has the potential to save lives.” After initial off-track trials, the system was piloted successfully on live works at Waterloo in October 2022. Steve says his team based at Clapham sees it as almost a permanent fixture now. “I’ve worn it on a four-mile inspection walk with the team and I found it doesn’t hamper you in doing your tasks,” he says. Steve says that the technology provides a high-tech and almost failsafe backup to those responsible for track safety. “Geofence also means the site warden has got a friend. They warden is looking out for anyone straying into the wrong area, but they are only human and if they are momentarily distracted, which does happen, this kit provides an extra layer of protection.” Geofencing pilots are being rolled out across the entire region, with plans to have it in use by all Network Rail staff by early 2024. We’re also working with the Possession Support Staff team in Wessex to pilot the technology there, and with other contractors nationally to identify new use cases. “It’s not replacing the skill and experience of track safety workers, it’s a safety net on top of everything else,” says Steve. “When technology can help us improve safety like this, it can only be a good thing.”
Steven Edwards demonstrates the geofence kit
SCAN THE CODE TO WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT HOW GEOFENCE WORKS https://tinyurl.com/bdfzftwm
Never enter the agreed exclusion zone, unless directed to by the person in charge
8 THE SHIELD ISSUE 39, NOVEMBER 2023
RAIL LIVES
“LISTEN, DON’T JUDGE” How Lee Gambrill and his fellow coaches are keeping safety on track
WHEN IT comes to safety, Lee Gambrill has never been afraid to challenge. “I’ve been on the railway for 20 years and if I see something that isn’t safe then I call it out,” he says. “It doesn’t always make me popular, but safety is just too important an issue.” For the past four-and-a-half years Lee has been a safety coach, advising and encouraging Network Rail workers and on-site contractors. One of seven such coaches from specialist contractor Bridgeway Consulting covering the Sussex, Kent and Wessex routes, Lee works with the Croydon Delivery Unit. “The role came about following a fatality at Stoats Nest Junction near Purley,” says Lee. “Southern region wanted to introduce independent safety inspections for all those working on track and together with a colleague, I was the first to take it on.” In fact, it was Lee who came up with the new role’s name. “We had to be trained assessors but with people skills as well, so they wanted something a little softer than
auditor or inspector. This was about making people feel they were getting extra support rather than just taking part in a regulatory tick box exercise.” The job, says Lee, is two-fold. There are the compliance checks – making sure people are trained, that they are competent, and they’ve got all the right equipment, it’s indate and calibrated. “It’s when we find that something is not quite right that we start the coaching,” he adds. “We talk through the process and give them documentation to support what we’ve been saying. They can take that as evidence back to their managers and help make positive changes.” STOP AND THINK Building relationships is a key part of the role – understanding track workers’ safety needs and sometimes fighting battles on their behalf. “It’s about listening and not judging,” says Lee. “Even when you find people doing something that is dangerous and a
clear breach of the rules, you don’t get angry. You explain to them what they’re doing, how they’re doing it, what the possible consequences are, not just for the business, but to them personally and their family. That’s really important – it makes them stop and think.” “Good time management, definitely. Then ensuring that you review your safe work pack properly during the verification process, not just signing it off without looking at it. There are mistakes we find that surprise the very people who verified the pack! “Finally, don’t be frightened to challenge and ask for help. If someone is not 100% sure they tend to just say nothing in case they look foolish. We don’t have all the answers but if we can’t answer it there and then, we take it away, find out and go back to them. “The railway is a dangerous place and if you don’t get things right, it can go wrong very quickly. Even if I’ve only changed the perception of just one person, and you never know, saved a life, that’s personally rewarding.”
to be in the paper? 020 7749 0173 or text 07783 467892 WhatWant do you think? Get inCalltouch – shield@networkrail.co.uk