TSSA News Release

Official figures showed that incidents concerning non compliance with railways rules rose from 4.1% to 13.7%, said the TSSA.

The figures were revealed by CIRAS, the industry’s Confidential Incident and Reporting Analysis System, in a report on non compliance incidents between 2004 and 2006.

It said that the three causes for Network Rail failures were 47.3% due to putting performance before safety, 20% due to poor planning and 13.3% due to poor management. Its subcontractors failures were mainly due to inadequate training, 33.3%, staff shortages, 22.2%, and putting performance before safety, 22.2%.

Network Rail and its subcontractors accounted for 40% of non compliance failures, Train Operating Companies, 35.3% and LUL, 17.6%.

Gerry Doherty, TSSA general secretary, called for urgent talks with Network Rail and the other rail companies to examine the safety implications of the report.

“I am particularly concerned that the largest single cause of non compliance was the priority given to putting performance before safety.

“This chimes in with many of the comments we have received from within the industry at all levels. Having reviewed this report, we are very concerned with the large increase in reports of non compliance with the safety rules between 2004-5 and 2005-6.

“We need action on this and we need it now. The industry should take this report very seriously indeed."