UK: The Rail Safety & Standards Board has published a report with guidance and practical tips on how to ensure work-related violence is properly reported within an organisation.
It was developed following consultation with the Work-Related Violence Group led by the Rail Delivery Group and chaired by Network Rail.
RSSB’s statistics show more than 94% of frontline staff have experienced work-related violence, with 26% experiencing physical assaults. After a period of decline, violent incidents on the railway have been rising since 2015. However, under-reporting and incomplete information mean the rail industry is unable to fully understand the issue. Barriers to reporting include:
- employees feeling work related violence is expected and ‘normal’;
- employees may not think there is any point in reporting in the belief that it changes nothing;
- employees may have different definitions for what counts as an incident.
‘With limited data comes an impaired understanding of the issue and limitations to preventing and addressing it effectively’, said RSSB’s Principal Health & Wellbeing Specialist Joana Faustino on February 7. ‘This new document compiles evidence on barriers to reporting, while also offering practical ways to address them, to support rail organisations in creating the right environment for staff to report. Work-related violence should never be part of the job.’
