50219 Agency staff pressurised into working unsafely

August 2011 in Network Rail and Suppliers

Workload Supervision and Management Not Specified

An experienced railway worker is concerned that agency workers are increasingly being asked to work faster and therefore, in some instances, more unsafely.

The concern is widespread and not confined to any particular company or area. The reporter feels it is important to raise awareness of this issue as it is believed safety culture is slowly being eroded in the current business climate.

The reporter states that being pressurised to work unsafely by the client can often amount to a form of bullying with safety consequences. Agency staff who have invoked theWorksafe Procedureare simply not invited back to the site in many cases. It is acknowledged that site management varies from site to site.

The following examples of clients pressurising agency staff have been provided.

• Pressure to use the wrong equipment. A Road Rail Vehicle (RRV) with an inadequate load capacity was ordered to a site. When a lift was attempted, the Rating Capacity Indicator (RCI) sounded and work had to stop. An agency worker was then shouted at by the client's Supervisor for delaying work, even though he hadn't ordered the machine.
• Last minute changes increasing the likelihood of unsafe work practices. In one case, the client changed the method of lifting once work had begun. A less safe, tandem lift was requested by the client's Supervisor when neither the method statement or work plan specified it. Inappropriate attachments for the RRV were then used for lifting and compromised safety.
• Asking staff to work without a full briefing. The reporter believes that not enough time is being spent on briefing staff before work begins on site. In particular, whiteboard talks are not taking place on site a week before the work is due to begin and the staff briefing on the day is often rushe

The reporter asks each company:

• Can the planning process be improved to ensure fewer last minute changes?
• How could safety culture be improved to encourage the raising of safety concerns by agency staff?

 Response from Balfour Beatty Rail Infrastructure

Thank you for highlighting the concerns raised above.

"...theLift Planning Procedurehas been rewritten and higher levels of training introduced..."

Balfour Beatty has recognised that there have been problems in the planning of lifting activities on site using RRVs, where not all the lifts required on site have been planned in detail.

As a result of this theLift Planning Procedurehas been rewritten, and we have introduced higher levels of training for Lift Planners. More emphasis is being placed on producing a lift plan with accurate site information and detailing all of the work that will be undertaken on site.  TheLift Planning Procedurealso includes a defined process for reporting and re-planning any unforeseen lifts on site, and we are actively encouraging Crane Controllers and Machine Operators to bring to the attention of the Supervisor on site when lifts have not been included in the lift plan.  

While it may not be possible to brief all staff prior to the works, key staff, including Task Managers for specific tasks, are identified prior to the works and briefed at a whiteboard briefing either on site or in the depot. The Task Managers can then brief staff working for them on the day of the job about the specific tasks they will be undertaking. 

Balfour Beatty are actively encouraging our own staff and subcontractors to raise safety issues.