Britain has been at the forefront of railway development since the 1800s and it’s vital that the network remains a safe place for the public and rail staff. The Covid-19 pandemic—and the challenges it continues to present—have made this even more important.

Refreshed earlier this year, Leading Health and Safety on Britain’s Railways identifies 12 key risk areas, while suggesting tangible ways to improve and innovate, making railways safer and healthier for all. The key to success is the industry working together and making a commitment to making improvements moving forward. 

While we should be proud to work on one of the safest rail networks in the world, performance has deteriorated in some areas and there are concerns which need to be urgently addressed around operational risks, as well as workforce safety and wellbeing. Ultimately, a healthier workforce will deliver a safer railway.

In order to ensure the strategy is being implemented effectively, The Leading Health and Safety on Britain's Railway Executive Advisory Group has been established to act on behalf of RSSB’s Board. It will also provide accountability and support to System Safety Risk Group and The Rail Wellbeing Alliance and their related subgroups.

We also provide key capabilities to our members including access to guidance and good practice, safety monitoring and learning from experience.

Helpful documents

The Strategy Implementation document lays out how we will deliver the strategy and the critical components needed for success, including principles around the collaboration, governance and support arrangements, and how industry will monitor progress.

We have also published a brief Summary for Senior Leaders which provides an outline of the strategy and how the industry will work together to deliver it.

Finally, we will continue to provide quarterly progress reports, charting safety performance data as well as details of progress to meet the strategy objectives.