Great Western Coffee Shop

I commend to anyone interested in safety on the railway the RAIB Report into the fatality at Stoats Nest Junction on the Brighton line.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5d261143e5274a592254abbf/R072019_190711_Stoats_Nest_Junction.pdf (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5d261143e5274a592254abbf/R072019_190711_Stoats_Nest_Junction.pdf)

The causal factors include safety management processes, workplace culture and the personal circumstances of those involved.

The Report, as you would expect from the RAIB, is detailed and thorough and takes a while to assimilate. I had to read it several times to understand the full picture. It is thought provoking and left me at least feeling a bit sad.

The recommendations are a bit toothless and faintly delusional. "Network Rail should review how it manages the risks associated with the use of workers on zero hours contracts" etc. The whole point of zero-hour contracts is that they transfer responsibility for managing these risks onto the individual employee. If they want to manage these risks, then they need to employ safety-critical staff full-time, so that they will not be looking for more hours elsewhere or holding a second job (section 112).

To be fair to the RAIB, all their recommendations are 'toothless'. They have no legal powers to compel Network Rail to implement changes. That job is down to regulatory bodies, government departments and/or legislators.

The RAIB is tasked with investigating and determining causal factors following an incident. Then making recommendations for others to implement.