The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has published new guidance for the rail sector to report work-related violence (WRV). This comes after consultation with the industry’s Work-Related Violence Group, led by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) and chaired by the infrastructure manager Network Rail.
RSSB says its statistics show most, 94 per cent of frontline staff have experienced work-related violence. About a quarter, 25.6pc have experienced physical assaults. After a period of decline, violent incidents on the railway have been rising since 2015.As elsewhere, the under-reporting of incidents and incomplete information mean that the railways are unable to fully understand the issue., the RSSB says. Hence its guidance (available to RSSB members) offers a summary of common barriers to reporting; and tips to help work-related violence be properly reported.
Joana Faustino, RSSB’s Principal Health and Wellbeing Specialist, said: “Work-related violence is a big issue for our frontline staff, with devastating consequences. But research has consistently shown it to be highly underreported. With limited data, comes an impaired understanding of the issue and limitations to preventing and addressing it effectively.
“We need our frontline staff to consistently report their experiences of work-related violence. All of them. But we need to start by understanding why they may not always report. This new document compiles evidence on barriers to reporting, while also offering practical ways to address them, to support rail organisations in creating the right environment for staff to report. Work-related violence should never be part of the job. The publication of this document is another step towards tackling it.”
In retail, meanwhile, the recent BRC (British Retail Consortium) annual crime survey of members found that the total number of incidents continues to grow, and their nature is becoming increasingly aggressive, while satisfaction with the police remains low. Most, 61 per cent of respondents described the police response to incidents as ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’.
Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “With little faith in police attendance, it is no wonder criminals feel they have licence to steal, threaten, assault and abuse. Retailers are spending more than ever before, but they cannot prevent crime alone. We need the police to respond to and handle every reported incident appropriately.”
Fare evasion
A rail operator serving east London and south Essex, c2c, hailed a record sum recovered from passengers who evade paying for tickets in 2024. c2c’s Head of Revenue Protection and Security, Iain Palmer, said: “Our Revenue Protection and Security teams work incredibly hard under sometimes difficult circumstances to ensure that all our passengers have a valid ticket to use the c2c line. So, to achieve this record-breaking year is a testament to their hard work and determination to ensure that all passengers use the network fairly.
“At c2c, we are committed to ensuring that our passengers have a safe and reliable journey and work in close partnership with The British Transport Police to achieve this. We know from historic evidence that ticketless travel is linked to ASB (anti-social behaviour), and our front-line teams work very hard to ensure that we catch as many of these people that feel they are exempt from the rules as possible.”
Visit www.c2c-online.co.uk/gamble.
More on workers’ safety in the March edition of Professional Security Magazine. Photo by Mark Rowe: underpass, Southend Central rail station.
