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  • Occupational Health and Safety

Occupational Health and Safety

A safer, healthier, and better work environment

Occupational Health and Safety is one of five key risk areas that industry will address through the Rail Health and Safety Strategy  (the Strategy). The risk area covers occupational health and safety and fatigue.

Introduction

The industry needs to protect workers by clarifying roles and responsibilities, and by applying consistent and safe systems of work. While progress has been made in understanding and reducing the risks associated with the workplace more can be achieved.

An appropriate roll out of new technology can improve efficiency and safety in delivering work. This is supported by the need to share knowledge and good practice to improve safety and health in the procurement, planning, and execution of work

The Strategy aims to deliver ‘a safer, healthier, and better work environment'. The strategic initiatives to address this critical risk area are listed below.

  • Strategic initiatives:
    • Sharing of welfare facilities piloted.
    • Embedding road risk management tools.
    • Systems engineering diagrams to improve Any Line Open working management.
    • Strategy to enable the use of digital technology in the safety management of trackside work.
    • Delivery of a cost benefit analysis tool for investment in depots.
    • AI technology to improve management of safety critical communication.
    • Enhanced use of capabilities of clients and suppliers to deliver work safely and efficiently.

Occupational Health and Safety Topics

Rail Health and Safety Strategy
The five-year strategy for the rail industry, aiming to deliver the healthiest, safest affordable railway in the world.
Annual Health and Safety Report
The latest information on health and safety performance, operational learning, and risk reduction initiatives.
Depot value and risk
At depots, yards, and sidings, activities can go on ‘out of sight and out of mind’ from the operational railway. But if we are to change these locations from being the ‘poor relations’ of the rail industry to valued service providers, we need to get better at speaking about the value of depots and the risks that they face.
Competence Development
Operators should ensure to develop the competence of their safety-critical staff. The Competence Development good practice guide (RS100) provides practical advice about managing and contributing to competence development activities.
Human Factors
Human factors is concerned with optimising human performance. In rail, it considers work environments from a human-centred point of view by studying how the whole system influences the way people behave and interact with the railway.
Managing Occupational Road Risk
Road risk affects every sector of the industry where people drive for work. Road risk, the results of a road traffic incident, will result in costs. And worse, can cause casualties and fatalities.
Taking Safe Decisions
Taking Safe Decisions provides guidance on aspects of good practice that are properly grounded in risk-based evidence. Decisions that protect the safety of rail industry staff, passengers and others, satisfy the law, and respect the interests of stakeholders, while remaining commercially sound.
Safety Management Resources
In this section you will find tools, guidance and expertise to help you develop your Safety Management System (SMS) to optimal effectiveness. This information is for those who arrange and/or oversee health and safety management.
Safety Management System
Tools, guidance and expertise to help organisations develop their Safety Management Systems to optimal effectiveness
Taking Safe Decisions Cost Benefit Analysis Tool
The Taking Safe Decisions principals provide guidance on how organisations can incorporate safety when making decisions. This tool will help to undertake a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) for a safety-related decision.
Medical Impairment Risk in Safety-Critical Workers
Guidance for occupational health and workplace management for different types of medical impairment risk in safety-critical workers.

Latest data

  • Data and Performance documents
    • Depot safety dashboard Q1 P1 - P5 2024/25
    • Workforce safety performance overview Q1 P1 - P5 2024/25
    • Occupational Road Risk Performance Overview Q2 2024-25
    • Occupational Road Risk Performance Overview Q1 2023-24
    • Annual Health and Safety Report 2022/23 Data - Road Risk Management
    • Occupational Road Risk Performance Overview Q4 2022-23
    • Depot Safety Dashboard (to P8) 2023/24
    • Workforce Safety performance overview Q3 2023-24
    • Workforce Safety performance overview Q2 2023-24
    • Workforce Safety performance overview Q1 2023-24
    • Annual Health and Safety Report 2022/23 Data - Workforce Safety
  • Other Occupational Health and Safety Topics
    • Fatigue
  • Related content
    • Podcasts series: Road Driving
    • RED Videos: Safety Critical Communications
  • Relevant Risk Groups
    • Fatigue Coordination Group
    • Infrastructure Safety Leadership Group
    • Occupational Health and Hygiene Advisory Group
    • Road Risk Group
    • System Safety Risk Group
See also
  • Driving for better business - Rail Sector resources page
  • Health and Wellbeing
  • Key Messages from Risk Groups
  • Management of Change
  • Route Knowledge
  • Spoken Safety Critical Communications
Do you need to get in touch with this group?
Contact our expert for more information.
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Sally Griffiths
Email: sally.griffiths@rssb.co.uk
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