Director of CIRAS Catherine Baker explains how we have been responding to our customers' needs to help meet the challenges of Covid-19, and our own experiences.

This article was originally published in the June/July 2020 issue of Rail Technology Magazine.

Graphic computer-generated ear listening to a sound wave

When we first heard about Covid-19 earlier this year, along with the rest of the world, it came as an unexpected shock. Just like so many others considering the implications for their business, at CIRAS we had to work out what the pandemic meant for our people and operations. We knew we had an important role to help our members' frontline staff by continuing to listen to their health, safety, and wellbeing concerns through a time of major change.

People contact CIRAS with these concerns and we share them confidentially with their employers—or with a third-party company if the concern mentions them—who can then act on the information. This gives companies access to information about what is really happening at the sharp end of their operations that risk assessments and planning might not otherwise pick up. It also helps build a strong safety culture where all voices are heard, making workplaces and working conditions safer for employees, customers, and the public.

Continued need for the service

It has been challenging for businesses to respond rapidly to swift, real-time changes and adapt procedures in line with new risk assessments. They have stepped up to the challenge, but where there is change there will be uncertainty and risk, and there will always be people who prefer to raise concerns confidentially. This is especially true in a crisis, when people are fearful of 'rocking the boat' or calling attention to themselves for fear of losing their job. They may feel they would be perceived as a 'troublemaker' for alerting their employer to risks and hazards at such a busy time. They might decide that management would prefer to wait if an issue is not about Covid-19. While these perceptions may be baseless, just the fear of consequences could stop someone speaking up.

From mid-March to mid-April, when the pace of change was highest, our hotline was busier than usual. Most of those calling were committed to doing their bit to keep the transport system going, but also concerned about the infection risk. Emotions ran high, so it was important that we were there with the time to really listen. While the number of calls did reduce once the initial transition passed, new concerns then started arriving about the impact of infection control measures on other aspects of health and safety, such as fatigue associated with new rosters.

For a period of five weeks, every call we received related to Covid-19. While not surprising, it is worth questioning what happened to the 'normal' health and safety concerns during that time.

Continuity of service

From the start, we were fully prepare for our reporting analysts to take calls confidentially throughout the transition to home working in mid-March and beyond. The security of confidential information is critical, and our business continuity arrangements meant that systems were remote-working ready. Our reporting analysts continue to work alone behind closed doors and all our normal contact channels remain open. By providing continuity of service, we have been able to reassure people that their concerns will be heard.

We have adapted too. Intelligence from CIRAS reports helps companies to assess safety arrangements and how well-informed employees are about them, as well as highlighting hazards and other risks such as fatigue. Realising that this is valuable information in a developing crisis, we streamlined our processes for Covid-19 reports so that they are sent to companies within one working day of a CIRAS analyst interviewing the reporter. We know of at least one case where the issue of concern was then addressed in a staff briefing the next day.

Reaching out and sharing information

As a membership organisation, we wanted to play our part in supporting our 2,000 members across the transport and infrastructure sectors, whether they received a report from us or not. Our members told us they would like us to identify and share information on how others were responding to the crisis. Sharing good practice is at the heart of what CIRAS offers, with members able to access all reports online.

In March and April, we shared Covid-19 report themes to our members either directly or through cross-industry groups, with the latest also summarising members' actions. Social distancing sparked a more diversified approach and we looked to the digital realm, launching the first of our new webinars. Although we have offered induction webinars to our CIRAS reps for a while—a sensible solution with members around Britain—our new online events take a different angle. The first was open to members and shared stories of good practice on the themes of avoiding infection and supporting mental wellbeing. A second webinar, for frontline staff, explained why reporting health and safety concerns is important, showing it could prevent accidents, and where CIRAS fits in.

We are building on these first events to develop our service, with three online member events in June and July sharing ideas on how to adapt as lockdown eases. As always, we welcome feedback from our members and invite others to contact us too, whether to report a concern or discuss another opportunity for us to help. We are listening.

Events