WEEKLY
TOGETHER
TAKING THE NORTH FURTHER | THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2023
This week in Together Weekly we’re focussing on our fourth Golden Rule of safety - AVOID HARM. There are many things to think about to ensure you are ready for the challenges you will face every day on the railway. When we talk about safety controls, avoiding harm is always the first priority, underlined by the mantra, if it’s not safe, don’t do it. The principle of avoiding harm includes: • Avoiding conflict, don’t put yourself in harm’s way • Keeping yourself healthy • Following good housekeeping measures, keeping areas clear of slip or trip hazards, and reporting or cordoning off any hazards so that others can avoid harm too. Please think about how you effectively prepare for work to avoid harm and share your ideas with others to make your workplace as safe as possible.
HELPING US AVOID HARM - BODY WORN CAMERAS Did you know that wearing a body worn camera (BWC) could reduce your chances of being verbally or physically assaulted by 47% whilst on duty. This is a really interesting statistic, but there are also other reasons to wear a BWC… - The goal of every journey is to get customers from A to B while keeping them safe. The BWC is a great tool to help with this, because the more BWCs around our network, the safer the environment for our colleagues and customers - We know there is a small minority that use our trains and stations for illegal activity. These perpetrators don’t like to be caught on camera, so, wearing a BWC will help protect you and reduce the number of perpetrators using our network altogether. The latest figures from BTP showed that the majority of our BWC evidence provided to BTP has had a conviction/ prosecution, showing us that BWC are able to help with anti-social behaviour and can help build a stronger case. Please contact Ashley Hulse, Body Worn Camera & CCTV Support Manager, at TPE.BWC@tpexpress.co.uk if you would like more details on wearing a BWC. These charts show why BWC are such a vital tool. Between 1 April ’23 and 31 September we’d had 23 physical and 89 verbal assaults on colleagues. These figures are very high but wearing BWC will help reduce this. #
Physical Assault Locations
Physical Assault By Grade
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Physical Assault Triggers 6 5 4
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AVOIDING HARM - KEEPING YOURSELF SAFE IN CONFLICT SITUATIONS One of the ways we can Avoid Harm is to be aware of potential conflict situations and take steps to minimise harm to ourselves and others. Your Approach Our actions can have a big impact on a conflict situation and how it develops. The best way to manage a situation is to be aware of, and if possible, avoid the triggers, rather than deal with aggression. When approaching and interacting with the public, remember to use ‘SPACE’:
SPACE: Maintain a safe, comfortable distance for you and the customer POSITION: Use a non-threatening stance and try not to block or be blocked in AWARENESS: Assess and re-assess the situation and consider your choices before and during the interaction COMMUNICATION: Use open body language, appropriate eye contact, active listening to display a positive attitude EXIT: Be prepared to leave a situation where you feel your safety is threatened If you’d like to know more, please sign up for one of our ‘Keeping Safe in Conflict Situations’ courses. The course has been designed in partnership with the BTP and TPE Health & Safety Representatives. Email LandD.admin@tpexpress to book yourself on one of the sessions.
AVOIDING HARM - AVOID THE FLU We’re now approaching flu season, and one way to avoid harm is to get the flu vaccination. Flu is a highly infectious disease with symptoms that come on very quickly. Healthy individuals usually recover within two to seven days, but for some the disease can lead to hospitalisation, permanent disability or even death. Conditions that are linked to increased risk can be found here Flu is unpredictable and a Flu vaccination provides the best protection. The strains that are likely to cause illness are identified in advance and vaccines are then made to match them as closely as possible. Even if the vaccine doesn’t perfectly match a strain, it provides some protection. We are committed to your health and wellbeing and want to help prevent you avoid the symptoms associated with the Flu. You are encouraged to have the free NHS Vaccine if you meet the criteria, but we have purchased Flu Vouchers for those who aren’t eligible. If you would like to claim your voucher, please email TPE.HRAdmin@tpexpress.co.uk providing your name and email address or phone number you would like the voucher sending to.
CHANGING SCHOOLS FROM COACH TO RAIL Earlier this month colleagues from the Business Account Team were at the Northern Education show in Bolton to talk to school leaders about group travel with TPE. Held at Bolton Stadium Hotel, the Northern Education Show is the North’s largest exhibition for school management. Jill Bollard (Business Account Manager) and Jack Brown (Groups and Business Support Manager) met some of the key decision makers for schools across the North, raising awareness of our 20 per cent discount for school trips, showing that coaches aren’t the only option for a fun school trip.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH October is Black History Month, which celebrates the history and culture of black people in British society and also gives us an opportunity to inspire future generations. This year’s theme is ‘Saluting our sisters’, a chance for us to honour the contributions of black women and showcase their achievements, which have often been forgotten. One modern rail pioneer is Trudy Aarons, one of the UK’s first black female train drivers. In 1989, only 34 years ago, Trudy began her career in rail as a train guard and after a year she started training to become a driver. Throughout her time as a driver she noticed that passengers were surprised to see her in the cab but knew that this reaction meant she was trailblazing for more black and female drivers. After 29 years on the railway, Trudy retired in 2018. What actions can you take to mark Black History Month: • Complete the ‘Express Inclusion’ toolkit on the eHub • Take part in our ‘Behaviours and Bias’ training on the eHub • Take a look at the resources we have on our colleague app The Loop, including a look at Black History Month, and information on challenging discriminatory behaviour. Throughout October we’ll be sharing more about the history of the month and more incredible Black railway pioneers.
SERVICE QUALITY REGIME – TWO YEARS ON
OUR PERFORMANCE PERIOD 7 WEEK 3
ON OR ABOVE TARGET
Target 67.95%
Time to 3 63.58%
NO Target 95.90%
Time to 15
93.37%
NO
Cancellations 5.66
%
NO
4.13 Target %
Last week’s performance was down on the previous week. There was significant disruption due to train crew availability, also resulting in a high number of shortforms. Our most significant incident was on 5 October, with a 329 minute delay at Leeds. We experienced a number of delays caused by infrastructure faults, including a track circuit failure between Carstairs and Symington, Colton Junction points failure and overhead line faults between Manchester Piccadilly and Slade Lane junction.
This month marks two years since the introduction of our Service Quality Regime (SQR) and is the perfect opportunity to update you on its success and the positive impact it’s having for our customers. Every period, independent inspectors carry out 100 audits on the standards of trains, stations and the quality of our customer service. Here are some of the highlights from our SQR results in the last 12 months… • In every period since October 2022 we’ve achieved more than 92% in our combined results for customer service • In July 2023 we scored 100% across all customer service targets • Our average score for staff helpfulness for this financial year is over 96% The business has faced many challenges over the last year, and yet our dedication to delivering excellent customer service still shines through. We’re always receiving excellent feedback, with customers regularly commenting on our friendly and helpful service. A huge thanks to all our colleagues who continue to go above and beyond in exceptional circumstances! Keep up the great work and remember, all colleagues have a huge role to play, as you can help us identify issues before the inspectors do! We want you to be constantly asking yourselves, ‘is this good enough?’ If you see a problem with lighting, graffiti, paint peeling on a bench, or a screen not working, please make sure you report it to ourtpefeedback@tpexpress.co.uk.
Do you have a story for Together Weekly?
We’d love to hear it. Email us at TPECommunications@tpexpress.co.uk