Unite forces Network Rail safety review

[brothermagrew]

Network Rail has agreed to an independent review of how it reports workplace accidents following an intervention by Unite. Bob Rixham, Unite's national officer for railways, last month exposed the under-reporting of 'over three day' injuries sustained by Network Rail workers (Risks 473). Now the company's chair, Rick Haythornthwaite, has said he is inviting the Railway Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) to review the company's system for meeting legal requirements to report dangerous incidents.

Unite health and safety officers will participate in the review. Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), all injuries to workers connected with work that result in them being 'unable to do their full range of normal duties for more than three days' must be reported.

But the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) charged last month that figures reported by Network Rail were not credible, and its reporting system was 'obscure and wrong'. Now new data provided to Unite by Rick Haythornthwaite indicates around 700 RIDDOR incidents are not reported by contractors every year, on top of the under-reporting by Network Rail managers.

Last year seven directors earned £2.36 million in bonuses. Network Rail's safety record is taken into consideration when the remuneration committee awards these bonuses. Unite national officer Bob Rixham said: 'It's still outrageous that senior directors can walk away with huge bonuses when Network Rail wrongly boosted its safety record. Network Rail's chairman must ensure that part of the bonuses paid to directors are recouped and donated to the transport benevolent fund.' Company chair Rick Haythornthwaite said the link between RIDDOR reporting and safety league tables had now been broken and managers no longer gained points for low RIDDOR reporting.


Under-reporting of 'over three day' injuries which is a legal requirement by management surely not.