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A safety net when all else fails

41137 Procedures ‘not followed’ during strike action

December 2010 in London Underground

tagged Rules and procedures Supervision and Management South East

Concern has been expressed that during strike action procedures did not appear to be followed at maintenance depots as there was no trained 'person in authority' present. As a result staff are concerned that the works carried out were not checked to see if they had been completed in a controlled and safe manner.

It has been noted that Contractors were allowed into a depot to carry out work which included working on the high voltage electricity system and with sharp, dangerous equipment. According to the reporters, no permits to work were issued or signed and therefore no evidence exists that licenses were checked and correct or that a Safe System of Work (SSOW) was set up.

Could LUL:

  • Comment on the senior members of staff that should be present at maintenance depots and the level of training required?
  • Detail what the correct procedure is when setting up a SSOW and ensuring that the permit to work system is adhered to?

Additional information
Due to the risk to confidentiality we are unable to provide any specific location details in this report.

Response from LUL

LUL has investigated the concern raised but has been unable to provide a more detailed response as CIRAS, due to confidentiality reasons, were unable to specify the depot concerned. The level of staff that should be present in order for the depot to be open are any one of the following, providing they have had the correct training:

  • Duty Depot Manager.
  • Depot Team Leader.
  • Fleet Manager.
  • Depot Manager.
  • Planning Manager.
  • Engineering Support Manager.
  • Production Process Manager.

The training requirement depends on what functions are required and which grades are present. SSOWs and Permits to Work are controlled by the Fleet Permit to Work procedure, which is available on the internal website. Permits are issued, recorded and signed off by an authorised person. The Site Person in Charge remains responsible for the works.

 

41137