RED 70: protecting the railway’s lone workers
The railway needs lone workers to function. In RED 70, we speak to a number of them to understand their roles and the challenges and opportunities involved.
Bill Maytham, a train dispatcher at Wivenhoe, talks of the benefits. He says: ‘I enjoy working alone, because I’m responsible for my own actions.’ There’s pride in a job well done, when a job has been done well. And the more you do get done, the better you get at making informed decisions and thinking laterally.
Signaller Thomas Payne also points to the advantages of lone working. He says you can put ‘your own stamp’ on the job when you work alone. For him, there is autonomy, responsibility—that pride again that has always been so strong in our industry.
The challenges of lone working can centre on those days when you wish you weren’t alone, and that can be for several reasons. You might need to discuss an idea with someone, run a thought past a manager, or get some help with an increasing workload.
But as Bill also says, ‘as a lone worker, you’ve got to know your environment’, adding that you need to avoid getting ‘into something you can’t get out of’.
RED 70’s dramatisation is based on an actual incident, in which a signaller found themselves in something they couldn’t get out of and allowed three trains to enter a single section of railway. It emphasises that lone workers, when under extreme conditions, can fail to spot their own signs of stress and become overwhelmed. It also shows how, when colleagues are not physically nearby, others can’t spot the trouble brewing either.
Our briefing notes list some the things that went wrong, but when you watch the film, try making your own list and discuss it with those you work with. After all, we’re each responsible for lone workers’ safety, from the lone worker themselves to their line managers, colleagues and employers. A lone worker should never feel themselves alone.