Railway industry to benefit from new 'human factors' web pages

HSC press release C015:05 - 21 June 2005

The Health and Safety Commission's Rail Industry Advisory Committee (RIAC) today launched its Railway Human Factors pages on the Health and Safety Executive web site at www.hse.gov.uk/railways/liveissues/humanfactors/index.htm.

The pages provide a wide variety of human factors information, from design and ergonomic issues to risks associated with violence and assaults on railway staff. They are aimed at all those who work in the rail industry to provide help and empower staff, particularly those on the front line, to become better able to manage human factors in their work.

The information falls under three broad categories: what people are asked to do (task/environment/equipment); the individual who is doing it (competence/attitude/capability); and how the work is organised (leadership/resources/culture). The issues are outlined with case studies detailing live experience of the issues and how they were resolved. Routes to further information are also provided.

Aidan Nelson of the Rail Safety and Standards Board and Chair of RIAC's human factors working group said:

"We are hoping that the web pages will provide authoritative guidance for all railway staff, not only to help management address some of the major issues facing the workforce, but also in equipping the workforce themselves with the information and competences they may need to address their circumstances.

"A human factor usually features prominently in every accident report, so by highlighting these issues we hope that the webpages can have a positive impact in driving down the number of incidents on railways caused by human factors."

Commenting of the web pages Margaret Burns, Chair of RIAC, explained:

"The Commission relies on the expertise of the people who are members of the Advisory Committee's Working Groups, and the launch of the human factors web pages is an excellent example of collaborative working from all industry parties.

"As Chair of RIAC I am grateful to the members of the human factors working group for all of the positive work that has gone into making these pages so effective".

Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission, said:

"I am pleased to see the launch of the human factors web pages. One of the key outcomes of the RIAC Human Factors Working Group strategy is to identify and promote the consistent use of human factors good practice across the railway industry."

Notes to editors

• Further information on the work of HSC's RIAC can be found on the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/hsc/ iacs/riac/index.htm .

• The Rail Safety and Standards Board have a programme of research including human factors research for the railway industry. Further information can be found on their website at www.rssb.co.uk

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