Costain sponsors RSSB launch initiative to combat fatigue in the rail industry
Costain has sponsored a Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) project to launch new guidance on fatigue, which is cited as a factor in around a fifth of major rail incidents.
Data from RSSB shows that 20% of high risk rail incidents can be caused by fatigue, which is symptomatic of prolonged working, heavy workloads, insufficient rest or inadequate sleep.
On the railway, fatigue can have serious safety implications and so Costain has worked with RSSB to educate the rail industry, across all levels, in understanding their role and responsibilities for managing fatigue.
Following in-depth consultations with Costain and other organisations in the rail industry, a range of resources and tools have been developed for RSSB members, which are now available on RSSB’s website. All staff, including managers and supervisors, are encouraged to access, use and share the resources within their organisations, to improve how fatigue is managed and find out how it affects them.
The resources include self-check manuals for individuals to assess fatigue levels, symptoms to look out for in colleagues and models for planning time effectively.
Ian Parker, Costain Sector Director, Rail, comments: “For the safety of both the industry’s workforce and those using our rail networks every day we must stay informed on how best to manage fatigue and its symptoms. Fatigue can develop both quickly and over time and so ensuring that everyone is aware of how to manage the impact of their own and their colleagues’ tiredness and workload is vital. This could help reduce the number of high risk rail incidents going forward.
“It is positive to see more companies across the rail industry revaluating and developing their current fatigue standards. Together with RSSB, we hope the materials we have created will play a key role in their training.”
Dan Basacik, Lead Human Factors Specialist, RSSB, said: “Fatigue is one of the twelve priority areas in the rail industry’s health and safety strategy, and we are proud of the work we have done with our members to create practical resources to help companies and individuals manage fatigue. We hope that the RSSB website will become the one-stop-shop for our industry’s fatigue management needs.”
