Report exposes rotten safety culture for rail workers

25 January 2011

An independent review by the Rail Safety and Standards Board out today (Tuesday 25 January) exposes the rotten safety culture affecting rail workers in the UK.

Network Rail agreed to an independent review of how it reports staff accidents following the intervention by Unite, Britain's biggest union.

The report found that managers were using incentives to discourage reporting by front line staff with contractors, having unwritten policies which discouraged the reporting of injuries.

Unite's national officer, Bob Rixham said: "The review exposes a rotten safety culture where rail staff and contractors were under pressure not to report accidents - in some cases staff were even fearful of reporting accidents. It's scandalous that directors shared £2.7 million in bonuses in 2010.

"Behind the statistics are real people who have been injured at work. Network Rail and the industry must now admit to themselves how bad the situation had become, and only then can the industry move forward and encourage and nurture a just safety culture. Unite is confident that this will be the case and will assist the industry and Network Rail to achieve a culture that the industry can be proud of. "

There has been a significant level of under-reporting of Riddor lost time injuries by Network Rail staff and its contractor companies over the last five years. The report estimates that 500 to 600 Riddor lost time injuries may not have been reported by Network Rail infrastructure projects and maintenance over the five years 2005/06 to 2009/10.

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