40784 Risks posed by trolleys and refurbished catering areas

August 2009 in Train Operations

Work environment Equipment Method of working Not Specified

CIRAS has received report about the trolleys used by CrossCountry on Voyager trains and high speed trains (HSTs).  A number of issues have been raised here about the trolleys, and also about the refurbished catering areas.

The issues raised about the trolleys are:

• weight - the weight of a fully loaded trolley is unknown, but the reporter is concerned that it has not been assessed and that it is too heavy to safely manoeuvre. The trolley is designed to be pulled while walking backwards, causing staff to constantly twist to make sure their path is clear. The weight of the trolley puts considerable strain on the lower back, which could lead to permanent back problems;
• brakes - the brakes are positioned in top of the two front wheels which rotate, causing the brakes to become hidden under the trolley. Staff then have to "wiggle‟ the heavy trolley to get the wheels turned. The reporter would ideally like to see "peddle‟ brakes installed in trolleys, which are hand operated;
• insulation of hot water spout - the top part of the hot water spout, which protrudes above the trolley, is not insulated, causing staff to frequently burn hands and wrists;
• cup holder - the old trolleys had a "well‟ for cups to stand in when being filled, preventing them from being knocked over. The new trolleys lack this and the reporter is concerned that a cup of hot liquid could easily spill over a passenger;
• water urn carried by staff - staff were told that they would be provided with a small trolley for this, as the heavy urn has to be carried about half a coach length to the trolley - this has not appeared; and
• safety shoes - the reporter believes that staff should be provided with safety shoes when manoeuvring heavy equipment.

In addition to the above, the following concerns were raised over the refurbished catering area in the HST:

• fire extinguishers placed outside the kitchen area - a fire in the kitchen, for instance in the electrical systems, could block the doorway and trap a member of staff in the kitchen. They would then not be able to get to the fire extinguisher which is placed across the corridor from the kitchen exit. There is no alternative emergency exit from the kitchen area; and
• sharp metal edges on cupboard doors and drawers in the kitchen - some of these are at head and eye-level. The reporter suggests roller shutters or sliding doors would be much safer.

There is no provision for the following in the catering areas on both HST and Voyager trains:

• fire blankets; panic alarms - this was standard before the refurbishment; and
• sink for washing hands - staff have to use the public toilets if they need to wash their hands, which may not be hygienic.

These issues have been raised repeatedly by staff across the fleet, but the reporter states that staff are simply informed that everything has been properly risk assessed. Despite this, staff continue to feel unsafe working in the current conditions.

Would CrossCountry consider the concerns raised above by the reporter?

Further information:
The weight and manoeuvrability of the new trolleys on HST and Voyager trains was also the subject of CIRAS report 40739. It was also mentioned that the brakes are unreliable and that drawers will swing open, hitting the staff.

Response from CrossCountry Trains

The report is quite detailed, and a number of concerns have been answered in previous reports.

We have assessed the trolley in conjunction with H&S reps and stated the weight on risk assessments that were completed prior and during its introduction. We are now revisiting the risk assessments, it is important to remember that unlike other train operators we have a home base unit on board the trains, this reduces the requirement to carry stock through the train that is not needed at that time, for example we don‟t need to carry beer on the trolley at 07:00. We need to change our stock during the day to suit the requirements of our customers, this reduces the overall weight.

The fitment of a cover to the spout will be considered, however we will also review the training provided and provide updates, other operators of similar style trolleys have not encountered the same problem.

With regard to fire extinguishers, we undertook a full fire risk assessment prior to the HST trains coming into service this was done by CHUBB the leading fire experts, and we agreed that the extinguisher is better placed outside as this reduces the overall risk of the fire spreading, as you can tackle the fire better from outside the home base and close the door to help contain the fire.

Fire blankets are not fitted to HST, and would not serve any purpose. Fire Blankets are only suitable for "hot fat‟ cooking, the fitment to Voyagers was a result of an inferior fire risk assessment, which included pendolinos, when CrossCountry was part of Virgin Trains, hot fat cooking is undertaken on West Coast services.
We have now finally begun the final stage of the HST home base vehicles to resolve the issues relating to electrical power, this will then enable hand washing facilities to function correctly as well as panic alarms.

We have not had any accidents relating to sharp edges; staff are reminded that any defects including sharp edges should be reported to maintenance control. As part of the review of the risk assessments, we will also do a further inspection.