CIRAS’ Katie Johnston considers the broader questions on culture that affect Network Rail’s standard for spoken safety-critical communications.

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Above: Katie Johnston, stakeholder manager

Communication is one of the railway's most important safety controls. Every day, staff exchange information that affects the safety of trains, infrastructure, and people. Clear communication helps keep people safe. That’s whether they’re requesting a line blockage, agreeing a safe system of work, reporting an operational issue or responding to an abnormal situation, as just some examples.

Network Rail's Safety Critical Communications Standard (NR/L3/OPS/301) also emphasises clear communication. It brings together requirements for the recording, monitoring, and assurance of spoken safety-critical communications. The standard aims to address risks associated with inadequate communication, and to promote consistent approaches across the industry. 

However, beyond the requirements of any standard sits a broader question about safety culture:

If recording safety-critical conversations is important for learning and assurance, do frontline staff always get the necessary equipment?

Evidence from CIRAS reports

Most CIRAS reports are not about an individual's mistake. They tend to be about barriers that make it harder for people to work safely.

Workers generally want to follow procedures. They want to communicate effectively and to make safe decisions. However, reports to CIRAS often highlight situations where the systems, equipment or resources available do not match the expectations placed on staff.

There are also questions about whether personal mobile devices should be used at work.

Organisations may expect conversations to be recorded, reviewed or monitored. Where that is the case, workers may reasonably ask whether personal mobile phones are the right tool for doing a work activity that has safety implications.

This is not just about technology. It’s also about whether safety requirements align with the organisational support given to workers. 

Learning rather than blame

One of the most positive developments within the rail industry has been the move towards a learning culture. Modern safety management increasingly recognises that incidents rarely result from a single action or decision. Instead, they emerge from a combination of conditions, pressures, and organisational factors.

The Network Rail Safety Critical Communications Standard reflects this approach. It has requirements for monitoring, competence assessment, Communication Review Groups, and incident investigation processes. The intention is to understand communication performance, share learning, and continuously improve. 

But for that learning to be effective, organisations need reliable information about what happened, and recorded communications can be useful for this purpose.

Recorded communications can give valuable insight into:

  • what instructions were given
  • how instructions were understood
  • whether standard protocols were followed
  • where misunderstandings occurred
  • what environmental or operational pressures existed
  • how communication practices can be improved.
  • Valuable learning opportunities can be lost without reliable recording arrangements.

A workforce perspective

Workers have sometimes told us their concerns about using personal devices for safety-related conversations. Workers have uncertainty and concerns about:

  • recording arrangements
  • privacy
  • ownership of data
  • the inconsistency between different devices or applications
  • the difficulty of accessing evidence following an incident or a close call.

These do not necessarily indicate an unwillingness to comply. They are genuine concerns that workers have told us about.

Concerns reported to CIRAS repeatedly show that when people feel unable to raise concerns, underlying risks can persist. The same can happen when concerns remain unresolved. It is therefore really important that organisations create opportunities for workers to discuss barriers openly. This helps organisations identify issues before they contribute to incidents. And because workers may feel unable to raise concerns openly, channels for confidential reporting need to be promoted too.

Asking the right questions on safety culture

A positive safety culture is often described as one where people are equipped, supported, and encouraged to do the right thing.

This means many things in the context of safety-critical communications. For instance:

  • do staff have access to the equipment needed for effective safety-critical communications?
  • Are expectations clear and consistent across employees, contractors, and the supply chain?
  • Are workers confident about how recordings are managed and used?
  • Is feedback from frontline staff influencing how communication arrangements are implemented?

Supplying the right tools

Network Rail's standard introduces a greater focus on recording spoken safety-critical communications. It notes challenges for contingent labour and supply chain staff, including access to devices and consistency. 

Providing work-issued mobile devices may help address some of these challenges. It can:

  • create consistent recording arrangements
  • support assurance activities
  • separate personal and work communications
  • provide greater transparency for staff
  • improve the quality of evidence available during investigations.

Most importantly, it shows that organisations are willing to invest in the controls they expect people to use.

From concerns to learning

If staff feel that current arrangements create uncertainty, practical difficulties or unintended risks, those concerns should be explored. Independent and confidential reporting systems such as CIRAS can help bring these issues to light. This is particularly the case where individuals feel unable to raise their concerns through local channels.

The rail industry is continuing to strengthen its approach to safety-critical communications. But defining good communication standards is only one half of the challenge. Beyond that, the other part of the challenge is to provide the people who are expected to meet these standards with the tools, resources, and support to succeed.

A strong safety culture starts with the organisation making choices that help workers to stay safe.

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