Why should you report?

In high hazard industries such as rail, the actions of individual workers have been shown to contribute to over 70 per cent of accidents and incidents. As working on the rail network can be dangerous, the first hand knowledge and experience of rail staff is central to understanding why incidents and accidents happen. CIRAS can help gather this kind of information by encouraging staff to report things they feel unable to report through company channels.

CIRAS helps highlight dangerous situations, understand what causes near-misses and pinpoint unsafe practices on the railway. Staff concerns reported to CIRAS are analysed in order to find out the root causes of accidents, and provide companies with information they can use to reduce the likelihood of accidents. CIRAS’s analysis is used, alongside other safety performance data, to identify trends in safety and help companies target resources to address problems.

CIRAS is a confidential system, so there is no risk of reprisal from managers or workmates.