Concern focuses in on first aid and the risk of slips, trips and falls.

First aid accident

First aider at work (stock image, not of Crewe depot) 

Reporter's concern

Someone raised a concern with CIRAS about working practices on the shop floor at Crewe depot, worried that employees could be injured. They said working areas were not kept clean or tidy, and tools were left on the ground, risking a slip, trip or fall. In a separate concern, they believed there were no trained first aiders on site, so employees are not receiving the correct care following injuries. They had also noticed that accident forms were not being filled in.

The person reporting the concern asked Arriva TrainCare to:

  • audit the area and see that it is clean, tidy and free from trip hazards
  • ensure there is always at least one first aider on site and that accidents are logged.

Arriva TrainCare's response 

We take housekeeping seriously and have released several briefs and newsletters covering the importance of good housekeeping and what everyone needs to do. We also have an end of shift form that covers the standard of housekeeping, and the depot health, safety, environment and quality (HSEQ) tour form has a section covering housekeeping. To address this concern, we will raise a new brief describing everyone’s roles and responsibility when it comes to housekeeping. Managers will also complete further depot HSEQ tours.

Regarding the concern about a lack of first aiders, we have 10 first aiders at Crewe depot, split out across the various shifts, and there is sufficient first aider cover for all shifts. There is training booked in to recertify first aiders and certify new ones. We have a first aid risk assessment in place, within the depot arrangements plan that is available for all employees to view. On review, the first aiders’ photo and name posters and signing-in board by the control office needed updating, and this is now in progress due to the training. We believe that this is the reason for the concern being raised, as it meant it was not clear that the first aiders are monitored and kept relevant. However, first aiders are available on each shift.

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