The Shield
THE SAFETY NEWSPAPER FOR RAIL PEOPLE
BE A DUST BUSTER
ISSUE 25, SEPTEMBER 2019
REGULAR briefings and a “genuine safety culture” are what keep these workers out of harm’s way. The team are part of the crew on a project to recover a tunnelling machine – work which involves operating in some very confined spaces. Read the full story on page 4 >>
THE HOLE STORY Fire Drama
Time Out
Rail Lives
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southernshield.co.uk
SEE PAGE 6
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THE SHIELD ISSUE 25, SEPTEMBER 2019
First Person THE Network Rail Southern Region has now been formed and I am proud to have been appointed as the new Managing Director. For the first time, Infrastructure Projects Southern contractors in Wessex and South East will all work under a single regional organisation which includes the Network Rail Maintenance and Works Delivery teams. As the Managing Director of the Southern Region, the safety of everyone who works on and uses the railway is of the highest importance to me. Southern Shield are recognised as leaders in rail safety and there is a great deal that the rest of the Southern Region can learn from your knowledge and working practices. However, I know that you are sometimes frustrated by the different
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standards that are applied when you see Network Rail gangs not following the same safety rules. This can even happen in a shared possession and challenging the difference can provoke a poor response. An example of this is Red Zone working, which is something you would do only as a last resort through the Southern Shield Track Access Protocol. Taking a line block to cross the operational railway to get to a worksite but being challenged by a Network Rail signaller to ‘just’ follow the PTS rules shows that there is a big difference in our working practices. What we must do is take the best practices we all have, apply them across the region and only keep the differences in working practices when there is a good reason to do so. The recent tragedy, which
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resulted in the death of two of our railway colleagues at Port Talbot was a tragic reminder of the dangers of working on the railway. We can never be complacent, so I urge you all to continue to be intolerant of any unsafe practices or behaviours that you see. I want the Southern Region to be a safe place to work and I will do whatever I can to make this happen. I look forward to working with you all and hope you will join me on this journey. John Halsall, Managing Director, Southern Region
HOW CAN SAFETY BE IMPROVED? It’s human nature to take the path of least resistance, so shortcuts are inevitable and in some cases these lead to safety incidents. There’s also a “that will never happen to me” risk perception that needs to change. Culture change programmes like STOPThink! at Osborne are changing perceptions but until we place the safety of ourselves and our colleagues at the top of our daily goals then we will continue to have accidents and incidents. WHY DO PEOPLE CONTINUE TO GET HURT ON RAIL SITES? Where timescales are tight, some become guilty of saying “let’s get it done” rather than “let’s stop and reconsider”. Unfortunately, there are still projects where operatives keep their heads down. They don’t want to be the one to actually stop the works if they feel it’s unsafe. This will change naturally as the safety culture changes.
HANDS UP IF YOU NEED BETTER PROTECTION HANDS AND arms continue to be the most frequently injured parts of the body, as the stats on our graphic show.
Since April this year, there have been 10 injuries to hands, fingers or arms – that’s 59 per cent of all reported injuries. Last year the figure was 44 per cent. In typical cases these vulnerable parts of the body
Bradley Mansbridge, Site Manager for Osborne Infrastructure
DO YOU THINK WE CAN ACHIEVE EVERYONE HOME SAFE EVERY DAY? You’ve got to have a goal otherwise you have nothing to aim for. Until we know the driving force behind every person working alongside us then how can we be sure that their safety is even at the top of their list for that day? Our mental health has a huge part to play in this and the more we talk and interact with each other, the more we learn and eventually, the more we can prevent. DESCRIBE WHAT SAFETY MEANS TO YOU IN 10 WORDS? It’s the highest order of importance in our working life.
1 head 1 eye 2 face
1 back
3 arm
are prone to being injured in the following ways: • trapped during manual handling – particularly when lifting trough lids and sleepers • trapped or hit by plant • trapped in doors of vehicles and buildings • injured in slips, trips or falls • damaged by tools such as knives, saws and drills.
2 hand 5 finger or thumb 1 leg
Reduce the risk
1 foot
It’s important to think about what you can do to eliminate or reduce the risk of hand injuries. For example, can the task be carried out without having to manually handle materials and equipment? Do you have door closers fitted on all external doors? Written and designed by:
Is your worksite tidy?
Total injuries: 17
Do you always wear the right PPE (especially gloves) for the task? beetroot.co.uk
southernshield.co.uk
Figures for April to August 2019 (Period 1- 5)
want us to feature your team? get in touch at shield@networkrail.co.uk
ISSUE 25, SEPTEMBER 2019 THE SHIELD
FROM RAILWAY TO MOTORWAY BEST practice in Southern Shield is not only getting more people on the railway home safe every day, it’s also become a benchmark for safety in other areas of construction too. This point was illustrated recently when Osborne’s Pat Boland called a Time Out Take Five during highway work on the M25 motorway in Surrey. Site supervisor Pat, who has praised for his approach by the Southern Shield safety leadership team, called the Take Five to ensure less experienced colleagues were familiar with the working environment and safety procedures during a bridge cable survey. Pat explained: “Originally we were working with the road closed but then we switched to two lanes running. Although it was the same team, I could sense that some of them would benefit from an additional, more detailed briefing. “I’ve worked in this industry for more than 40 years. In that time you get to know how people
respond and have a sense for when an extra few moments or words are needed. “In this case I could see that some of the team weren’t as confident as usual, so it was the right thing to pause for a while before starting. It was a chance to talk through the work and another opportunity to ask questions. “Much of it was about reassurance that I was looking out for them.” In a formal commendation letter presented to Pat in July, Southern Shield SLT member John Dowsett said: “Your recent actions have been highlighted as a great example of going above and beyond. You demonstrated a genuine commitment to their safety.” Pat said: “It’s good to be recognised. I started in the industry at a time when this kind of approach never happened. The opportunity to communicate like this and have to open conversations about safety, is the biggest improvement I’ve seen in that time.”
Pat (left) receives his commendation
DUST TALK HELPS CLEAR THE AIR The telent team at Sydenham
COOL HEADS IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT QUICK-THINKING railway contractors proved they have the public’s safety in mind when they helped ensure residents were evacuated from a burning building. A telecoms installation team from contractor telent were installing CCTV camera at Lower Sydenham Station in South London, just after midnight when they noticed a fire in flats nearby. Work stopped and the team raised the alarm and called the fire brigade, before they went to the building and alerted the residents. As the emergency services dealt with the fire, the site team offered
the residents sanctuary in their welfare vehicle. They made tea and coffee and provided some warm clothing and toilet facilities until the building was declared safe to re-enter by the fire brigade. The staff involved were: Jasmin Reynolds, Dean Rogers, Jay Renolds, Carl Lish, Dean Fitzgerald, Dan Stephens and Gary Edwards. “We raised the alarm, assessed the risk and felt that we needed to get the residents out before the fire took hold,” said Jasmin. “Our adrenaline kicked in and we knew we had to help.”
The telent Head of Transport Safety Adam Parker, who visited the site to thank the team, said: “The staff’s swift response to the incident has saved lives and demonstrated their positive safety culture. A job well done by the team that ended positively with no injuries to the line side neighbours.” Paul Devoy, Network Rail’s Route Delivery Director for South East Route, also commended on the staff’s positive intervention. Paul said: “Having contractors that are willing to go the extra mile is invaluable and demonstrates behaviours which are hard to teach.”
THE TEAM working on a tunnel project in Sevenoaks in Kent already have plenty of safety risks to manage on site. But this hasn’t stopped the taking time to ensure others working nearby are also acting and working correctly. One of the tunnel ventilation shafts is located in the garden of a neighbouring residential property, where a local contractor was also building an extension. While working at the site Nick Jenkins (pictured right), a ganger on the project, noticed an unusual amount of dust being created by the extension work. When he went to look what was causing it he saw that the building contractor’s operative was using a disc cutter on a concrete slab, without the correct damping equipment. Nick said: “I was surprised that he was wearing gloves to protect his hands but had no mask or dust control to protect his lungs. The dust was also a potential hazard for my team as well as for other residents in the area, so I had no second thoughts about approaching and challenging him.” After a conversation with the operative, Nick showed him how to correctly use the dust suppression to complete the task safely. Nick added: “We are now used to
EVERYONE HOME SAFE EVERY DAY
very high safety standards in our work but it’s not the same across the industry, especially for smaller companies, so it was important to speak up.” BAM Operations Manager, Gareth White, said: “Although these works were nothing to do with the main project Nick should be commended for thinking of others no matter who they work for.” ● Be a Dust Buster – see page 6
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THE SHIELD ISSUE 25, SEPTEMBER 2019
ON SITE
I N A TIG H T
O P T S
The Shield visits a site where space is tight WORKING in confined spaces brings a whole new set of potential safety issues for our teams. No-one knows this better than staff from BAM and subcontractor Gallagher, who are working in challenging surroundings at a site in Haywards Heath, West Sussex. The team has been recovering a tunnelling machine that was trapped by earth movements during work to bore new drainage tunnels as part of the Brighton mainline. The recovery project involved creating a new tunnel to reach the stranded machine, using a technique called pipe-jacking. In this method a 1.5-metre diameter steel cylinder provides a protective, if cramped, space for specialist mining contractors who excavate in front of it. Once space is created, the steel is pushed forward and a length of 1.2-metre diameter concrete pipe installed behind it. The process is repeated to create the tunnel. CHALLENGES AND RISKS Excavated material is carried back through the pipe on a wagon, which is winched to the surface via a 5-metre by 3-metre shaft, which provides access for both workers and machinery. Space is tight – it’s not possible to stand upright in the main tunnel – and the work brings very particular challenges and risks. The miners work on rotation to reduce the risk of hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), while ground water and gas are also key risks, as is potential tunnel collapse. In addition to the diggers in the tunnel, there are two key roles in the shaft. A worker at the bottom of the shaft operates the winch and is trained
to respond if there’s any incident in the pipe. At the top, a colleague manages movements of material in and out and also monitors for gas and operates the ventilation system. STRONG AND STABLE “This is quite different from our regular rail projects which are normally above ground and use more standard civil engineering techniques,” said BAM project manager Colin McCombe. “I’ve had experience on a previous tunnelling project though and one of the most important safety issues here is to make sure that the activity doesn’t destabilise the ground. The miners are very experienced and use special techniques to excavate without destabilising the face. “You need to be familiar with the type of ground and know how different materials behave. That’s especially important as we are working on a railway embankment, only a few metres from an operational railway.” Safety equipment on site includes waterproof PPE and rescue kits with gas masks located within the shaft, but it’s the attitude of the people on site that is the real key to safe working. “It’s most important that staff are proactive,” said Colin. “They need to be able to spot hazards and raise issues as soon as they see anything they think is wrong. We have briefings every shift change and after every break, and handovers are very detailed. We can put all kinds of measures in place, but it’s most important that the team has the right expertise and a genuine safety culture. We all look after each other – our saying is ‘your safety is my safety’.”
never undertake any job unless you have
ISSUE 25, SEPTEMBER 2019 THE SHIELD
The tunnelling machine was successfully recovered
been trained and assessed as competent
Teamwork: (Left to right) Paulius Kulikauskas, Steve Morton, Joe Mann and Lee Zulli
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6 THE SHIELD ISSUE 25, SEPTEMBER 2019
How to avoid a hidden danger in the air around you
BE A DUST BUSTER You won’t get lung damage if you blow your nose after breathing in dust. WRONG. Silica dust particles are tiny enough to get deep into your lungs – you can’t just blow the dust out. I’m OK if I’m working outside. WRONG. Even when you’re outside, you can still breathe in the dust you make when working with materials that contain silica. It’s just a quick job, I’ll be fine. WRONG. Even a quick task can result in dangerous dust getting into the air and staying there while you carry on breathing it in.
HOW SMALL IS SILICA DUST?
Very small indeed – and they float in the air for longer, so there’s more chance to breathe them in. A single grain of table salt is 60 times bigger than one particle of silica dust.
HOW CAN WE CONTROL EXPOSURE?
● Cut down on how much silica dust is produced in the first place ● Use a safer product, for example olivine in abrasive blasting ● Use an enclosure or hood to contain the dust and local exhaust ventilation to suck dust away as it’s created ● Fit and use on-tool dust extraction devices to hand-held tools to keep dust out the air ● Wet down the work to keep dust levels lower ● Wear a suitable mask to stop dust getting into your lungs.
A MASK FOR THE TASK
WARNING SIGNS
There are various signs and symptoms that you should report to your line manager or GP as soon as possible: ● A persistent cough that gets worse ● Being short of breath ● Wheezing or tightness of your chest ● Unusual tiredness ● Coughing up blood ● Unexplained weight loss ● Chest or back pain ● Difficulty swallowing. Find out more about silica dust risks visit notimetolose.org.uk/networkrail
Have a ‘face-fit’ test for a tight-fitting respirator to make sure it fits OK ● Get trained in how to use, check and clean your respirator ● Change the filters regularly – or the respirator itself if it’s disposable ● Store the equipment in a clean place ● Speak up if there’s a problem with your respirator or if it doesn’t fit properly, is dirty or has an old filter.
NO TIME TO LOSE
SILICA DUST: HOW
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WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
● Check with your supervisor if the work you’re doing could create silica dust ● Learn about and use the control methods that can protect you – for example, or ontool extraction to keep dust out of the air ● Follow safe work procedures ● Wear respiratory protection if you’ve been asked to – even if using other control measures. Make sure you wear your mask properly ● Don’t ‘dry sweep’ after a job – remember that this will disturb the dust again. Do wet cleaning or use an industrial vacuum and wear your mask.
FACT OR FICTION?
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POL3528/01605
SILICA dust is an unseen killer – research suggests that nearly 800 people die every year in Britain from cancer caused by breathing it in at work. Other long-term consequences can include asthma, emphysema and bronchitis. Undisturbed silica is safe. But if you work on materials that contain silica, you’ll be making dangerous silica dust. Activities like cutting, surface grinding, welding, tunnelling and ballast handling among many others, all have potential to create silica dust. Because of this it is a serious hazard on many railway jobs, but with the right knowledge and safety measures you can ensure you’re getting a breath of fresh air.
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ISSUE 25, SEPTEMBER 2019 THE SHIELD
LESSONS LEARNT LEARNING from incidents and Close Calls is an important part of making sure everyone gets home safe every day. It’s why Southern Shield regularly reports on the times when someone gets hurt or workers have been at risk of injury. This means everyone can take steps to avoid a repeat. Here are some recent examples:
OPEN AND TOO CLOSE A near miss highlighted the dangers during a possession with adjacent open lines. At the time of the incident a worker was placing short circuit straps on conductor rails (floaters) between the worksite and the operational line. Isolations using these types of arrangements must have controls in place to prevent operatives straying into adjacent open lines. Remember, if you are planning work within one metre of the live conductor rail, you need authorisation – see the Southern Shield Live Conductor Rail Protocol at southernshield.co.uk.
LUCKY TO BE ALIVE
A TOUCH OF DANGER
SHOCKING INCIDENT
A COSS and two colleagues were involved in a serious near miss outside Swale station in Kent. The team had just completed their patrol when they identified some loose clips and proceeded to knock them in. The lookout did not see an approaching train, travelling at around 30mph, which narrowly missed hitting the group. They only moved clear on hearing the driver sound the horn. An investigation is ongoing, however this event was particularly shocking as it came only weeks after the tragic incident in Wales when two rail workers lost their lives. The Kent incident was a reminder of the dangers of working with lookouts, and reinforces why we have the Southern Shield Track Access Protocol. You can find it at southernshield.co.uk.
Safety lessons were learnt following a serious incident where a rail worker came into contact with a live conductor rail (floater). He was setting up lighting when he suffered burns to his hands from a live floater that was believed to have been isolated. The operative was wearing flame retardant PPE and gloves at the time, otherwise the consequences could have been a lot worse. The incident highlighted a number of points everyone should consider: Never assume equipment is isolated, always test before touch. Always wear the correct PPE for the task but remember PPE is the last line of defence. The Southern Shield Live Conductor Rail Protocol should always be used if you are accessing or walking within one metre of a live conductor rail. You can find it at southernshield.co.uk.
Two workers received a minor electrical shock while installing a cladding panel close to a light fitting at London Bridge Station. Upon inspection, it was clear that a neutral wire connected to the internal parts had become trapped in the casing. An investigation has not been able to establish how the neutral wire had become trapped, or for how long the casing on the light fitting had been live up to the time of the incident. The Thameslink Programme has issued Shared Learning, including an overview of the event, and actions taken as a result.
You can see all the Southern Shield Home Safe Bulletins at
southernshield.co.uk.
Which of these is the most dangerous? Remember –
a live third rail always bites and never lets go! In the southern region, if you are planning on walking or working within one metre of a Live Conductor Rail you will need authorisation. A Southern Shield Live Conductor Rail Authorisation to Work form must be completed by the Principal Contractor and retained with your SSOW pack. You can download a copy of the Southern Shield Charter at www.southernshield.co.uk e Home Sa eryon fe Ev
EVERY DAY
Designed by Gabriella Nichols, aged 10
WM013279 Third Rail Poster Landscape.indd 1
21/04/2017 12:02
never assume equipment is isolated - always test before touch
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THE SHIELD ISSUE 25, SEPTEMBER 2019
RAIL LIVES “ I was one of the country’s first qualified male nannies, and I learned a lot about human behaviour working with children”
HI-DE-HI VIS From Butlins to ballast – how Mick Reeves’ people skills are keeping colleagues safe WHAT links a kindergarten teacher, a holiday camp host and an industry safety champion? The answer – they are all jobs held by Mick Reeves during a varied career. If that wasn’t enough, Mick was also a railway site manager for many years before taking up his current role, leading the STOPThink! campaign for Osborne. The job takes him up and down the country, talking with railway, highways, construction staff (and others) about how to create a safety culture. It’s a subject he’s been passionate about since joining Osborne nearly 20 years ago, having left pre-school education, lived abroad and even a had a spell as a Butlins ‘Redcoat’ in Bognor Regis. “My first railway job was at Tonbridge as a night supervisor,” Mick recalled. “There was already a strong safety culture back then but things have still changed an awful lot. “There was certainly a tendency to get the job done rather than get it done safely, and it was unusual for contractors to challenge behaviour.
“I remember being on a platform with a colleague during work under possession, when we saw someone from Network Rail walking down the four-foot, talking into a mobile phone. “My instinct was to challenge it but when I did, I was told to mind my own business. Thankfully now that attitude has completely changed.”
People are people
While there’s unlikely to be anyone in the industry who shares Mick’s career path, he feels his background has helped him in his rail career. “I was one of the country’s first qualified male nannies, and I learned a lot about human behaviour working with children,” he said.“But people are people, whether they are toddlers or railway construction engineers. “I’m not an engineer – I struggle with basic DIY – and I am in awe of the technical skills of people I work with. But I am comfortable standing up and talking to a group
and I enjoy bringing teams together and getting the best out of them. Understanding people and engaging them is what STOPThink! is all about.” STOPThink! began following a near fatality at Winchester railway station several years ago. “It led us to take a long hard look at ourselves. We noticed that safety incidents and poor performance were often down to people making poor decisions. STOPThink! was one of the things that came about as a result.” The programme is more than just a training course, it’s a cultural development campaign designed to ensure that Osborne, as well as its suppliers and customers, make better decisions around safety and performance.
Open and honest
From being one of the early champions, Mick’s role has grown and he now leads STOPThink! for the whole of Osborne. “We create an environment where people can have open and honest conversations,
and we involve people from all areas and levels of the business,” he said. “It’s become part of our everyday vocabulary and now far fewer people are being harmed and the business is performing better.” The working relationship with Network Rail has also improved as the businesses’ safety objectives have aligned. “It used to be the case that if we were on a tight schedule the last thing we would do was stop and talk. Now it’s actively encouraged,” said Mick. “For the sake of a five or 10-minute stand-down you more than make up for that in improved safety and better performance. “Yes, the tools and the PPE are better now than they used to be but the biggest change in safety is in people and in culture. It’s saving and changing lives.”
What do you think? Get in touch – shield@networkrail.co.uk