More than 25 000 Network Rail, British Transport Police and train company staff have now undertaken Samaritans’ Managing Suicidal Contacts course launched in 2010 to train people to identify and help vulnerable people on and outside the rail network. In the past year, rail staff have helped more than 650 people to safety. Samaritans also offers a Trauma Support Training course aimed at drivers and driver managers to support staff who may have experienced traumatic incidents and look after their own mental health.
Xrail Group has won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of its success in international trade over the last three years, when overseas sales grew by 2 281% and the proportion of total sales exported increased from under 9% to 73%. The company employs 220 people with offices in Leeds, London, Warrington, Spain and Saudi Arabia.
Former Prime Minister Theresa May has joined Great Western Railway’s independent stakeholder advisory board, a 12-member external body to provide opinion and oversight. ‘I know how important reliable rail services are for my Maidenhead constituents and others across the Thames Valley, therefore I welcome this opportunity which will enable me to help deliver for our area’, said May.
RAIB makes three recommendations in its report into a near-miss at Coltishall Lane User Worked Level Crossing in Norfolk on January 21 2021: Network Rail should assess and if necessary reduce the risks of incidents and accidents at UWCs which may see significant use by unfamiliar users; Network Rail, in consultation with ORR and DfT, should improve signage at UWCs with features identified in the investigation; DfT, ORR and Network Rail should evaluate the extent to which recent guidance on level crossing orders will better enable the implementation of improved safety measures. A learning point reminds those responsible for the management of UWCs to adhere to risk assessment principles published by ORR in June 2021.
CrossCountry has appointed Wendy Smith as HR & Safety Director from ‘early summer’. She joins from HS2 Ltd, where she was Head of HR, and has held senior HR positions in industries including construction, media and logistics, with significant experience of unionised environments. ‘Her strong experience in supporting business through periods of change will be invaluable so that we emerge from the throes of the pandemic as a viable business’, said Managing Director Tom Joyner on April 19.