Practitioner viewpoint - June 23

ANY ACCIDENTAL loss of life is a tragedy – but when the life lost belonged to a young person, and simple action could have prevented the loss – then I think we’re compelled to take action.

So in this column I want to seek your support for an important initiative which aims to provide young people with the information that they need to make sensible, informed, risk based decisions.

The railway is a hazardous environment. Trains weighing hundreds of tonnes travel at up to 125 miles per hour, and high voltage electricity is permanently on in overhead lines and conductor rails. In an occupational setting a risk profile like this would likely attract a secure perimeter, and controlled access, to ensure that only competent people with an appropriate safe system of work are able to gain access. However, the railway works on the principle of open access. It is a resource available for use by all. 1.7 billion passengers journeys are made each year, with very many more people living close to the infrastructure, and/or crossing over the track at designated level crossings. It’s not possible to control the competence or behaviour of these people as we would do in an occupational environment. All we can do is seek to inform users, neighbours and visitors of the hazards present, and the action they should take to reduce the likelihood of harm.

How surprising is it then that the National Curriculum doesn’t cover railway safety? There is a place for road safety, water safety and even cyber safety – all important issues – but currently nothing on railway safety.

The Rail Safe Friendly Initiative (RSFI) is a cross industry collaboration, which has developed materials designed to support schools in adding railway safety to their teaching. These have been developed to align with the safety sections of the national curriculum, and to support teachers in sharing information so that young people are informed about the hazards and are able to make risk based decisions when they are near the railway. There are a range of age appropriate materials, including, books, fact sheets, videos and interactive exercises, as well as real life stories which illustrate just how easy it is to inadvertently place yourself at risk. These will be kept up to date and refreshed regularly so that they remain current. There is also a process which allows schools to achieve awards for reaching set levels of engagement. https://railsafefriendly.com/

RSFI is being actively supported by the parents of Harrison Ballantyne who lost his life at the age of just 11 when he was electrocuted by arcing from overhead power cables after straying onto the railway to retrieve a lost football. They have chosen to share their story to help make other young people, and their parents, aware of the risk so that they can make safe decisions, and keep themselves safe. https://switchedonrailsafety.co.uk/resources/harrisons-story/

So here’s my first ask. To you guys as risk and safety professionals, parents, school governors and advocates, please take every opportunity you can to make schools aware of RSFI and encourage them to use it. 

And my second – to businesses and community organisations, please consider sponsoring RSFI so that we can get this important messaging out to as many schools as possible.

And my third – to everyone. Please reach out to your MP, and to any parliamentarians or civil servants that you liaise with as part of your work. The ask is to have railway safety included alongside the other important safety topics on the national curriculum, so that all young people receive the right information to allow then to make sensible risk based decisions when they are on or near the railway.

We have to do everything we can to avoid preventable loss of life. Thank you. 

Louise Ward is safety & sustainability director at G&W UK – Safety. For more information, visit www.gwrr.co.uk