CPA Bulletin

rail plant association RAIL PLANT ASSOCIATION: 1 MargamAccident At this time there is little information available, the incident is being investigated by both the British Transport Police and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch and no doubt by the time of publication the circumstances will be clearer. On behalf of the Rail Plant Association members we send our condolences to the families affected and our thoughts are with those close to the workers involved. It is always difficult when incidents of this nature happen, it is our members who send operators out to work and try so very hard to ensure that the environment for them is safe and secure so they get home safely. None of us want to hear of any harm to our own staff or the colleagues we work with every week, so it is at times like this we look at our procedures to ensure they are robust. There is another aspect that is also often overlooked and is worth considering when interacting with our operators and staff. Immediately after any such incident, we all feel different emotions but those working in that environment, even working on a completely different site, will very likely suffer from the trauma of the incident and may be feeling dazed or numb. Such feelings are completely normal but can have a serious effect on their ability to work safely. After any serious incident, irrespective of when and where it happened, our members are strongly advised to discuss any issues with staff and operatives to ensure they are not suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder or any other form of anxiety brought on by the incidents. Once again we recommend looking at the Network Rail Safety Central website where there are documents that can help with trauma and stress. Rail Live This year Rail Live took place in June at the Quinton Rail Technology Centre at Long Marston. The centre plays a key role in the UK rail sector with many large companies on site and links to local universities. It is the most extensive rail storage facility in the UK and so is the perfect location for such an event. Consequently the Rail Plant Association decided this year to have an improved stand in the pavilion which proved to be a great success. There were over 200 exhibitors and over 5000 visitors to the show and this ensured a substantial footfall to our stand. It was great to meet with members who were able to offer advice on the issues we need to look at. There were also a few visitors who asked about joining the Association and I wish to thank you for your interest and look forward to hearing from you soon. It was also good to catch up with old friends from the industry, some still hard at it and others that have retired. All had interesting takes on where the industry will move next and everyone who took the trouble to call on the stand was very welcome. Strategic Forum The Strategic Forum for Construction is an organisation that brings together all the principle Trade Associations representing the construction sector to work collaboratively for a better industry. The Construction Plant-hire Association has been involved for many years with an important sub-group known as the Strategic Forum for Construction Plant Safety Group (SFPSG). Following some representation the RPA have now been invited to participate in a group looking especially at MEWPs. A meeting will have been held before this article is published and it will be looking at standards generally, HSE updates and more importantly looking at incidents that have occurred in the recent past. It is hoped that with our ability to look at the experiences from construction and civil engineering projects, we will be able to pick up some information to inform our ongoing discussions regarding this type of plant. On the flipside we hope that we can help our colleagues from the wider construction industry by sharing experiences from the rail industry. Other issues being discussed include the voluntary MOT scheme and emissions from plant, so we look forward to sharing any useful outcomes with our members in the next few weeks. RIDDOR We should all have received notification that from Friday 5th July the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has changed the way it collects RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) reportable incidents from duty holders. The old RIDDOR form on the ORR website has been replaced by a Web-form on their new data portal. Anyone responsible for submitting RIDDOR reportable incidents for their organisation should acquaint themselves with the new reporting tool. We believe that the new web-form acts in exactly the same way as the old form, with the exception that when you submit from the new web-form, it might not provide the user with a reference number assigned to the report. Anyone requiring information or having difficulty with the new system should let the RPA know so that we can follow up with the ORR. I write this having just returned from holiday and reading about the tragic accident at Margam near Port Talbot. Two track workers sadly lost their lives and another was close to being struck and was treated for shock. www.cpa.uk.net CPA Bulletin > August 2019 57