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JLE PED isolation - if it aint broke dont fix it

Why replace a safe system with a high risk dangerous one? The RMT is very concerned by the dangerous plans by management on the Jubilee Line to alter our procedure for isolating a defective Platform Edge Door. We believe a member of staff must be positioned by an isolated platform edge door is essential to maintaining a safe operation.
Station staff are the eyes and ears for drivers in these situations, and their absence can lead to dangerous situations and possible injuries - most notably to children, visually impaired people and mobility impaired people.
Initial trials which were observed by the presence of all three unions have already proven the procedure to be unworkable and unsafe.
The two significant incidents detailed below, highlight the folly in respect to these PED isolation trials. One of these incidents was foreseeable and was used as an example by our safety council of what we knew would, and indeed did happen. The second and more serious incident was more dangerous than anything that could be expected. We believe that these trials should immediately cease based on what was witnessed during these incidents. We don't take this decision lightly but what happened at Canary Wharf Stn. was dangerous and can't be allowed to happen again. As stated previously LU have introduced a 'high risk' to an already ALARP (as low as reasonably practical) procedure.
Jubilee train arrived at Canary Wharf station. On board this train was a VIP with his dog. When train doors opened the VIP was standing by the PED doors that had been taken out of service for the purpose of this trial preventing him from alighting from the train. It can only be assumed that his dog refused to move, otherwise he would have walked into a closed PED. Luckily this PED was being manned by a member of station staff at the time who was able to run to an opened PED, alert and inform the VIP as to what was happening and escort the VIP and his dog off the train.
Had the member of staff not been on the platform then it is highly likely this VIP would have been over carried to the next station, in this case North Greenwich, which has a completely different station layout and the train doors opening on the opposite side to Canary Wharf. This could be highly disorientating to a VIP who may be used to a route/destination and then find themselves at a completely different, unfamiliar location. Not exactly the world class service we are striving for.
The second incident occurred about 40 minutes later, again on the E/B but this time the PED removed from passenger service was not manned by a member of station staff, which would be the case if this procedure was to be implemented.
On board the train were two adults, with two small children, aged approx. 2 - 5. When the train stopped these customers were opposite the doors that had been removed from service for the purpose of this trial. The male was sitting down and the female was standing by the double doors on the track side wall side of the carriage. She appeared to be reading the posters on the trackside wall.
One of the small children then noticed the train doors were open and walked to open doors. The PED being in the closed position prevented him from alighting from the train. He then began to push the 'door open' button inside the train. He was then joined by the smaller child and he looked down in the direction of the gap between the train and the platform He then started to pull and push the inside of the PED. Some of the Reps. who witnessed this became very alarmed and thinking the T/O may close the train doors started to make their way to the train to alert the adults of the danger. As they did so the male adult recognised the seriousness of the situation and pulled the small children away from the PED/train doors. After this incident a child's finger marks could be clearly seen on the glass on the inside of the PED. Do we really need to go into the scenario of what would have happened had one of these small children managed to squeeze between the train and the PED barrier? This is not as unrealistic as you think; remember Queens Pk. and the youth who climbed over the barriers in the siding?
The possibilities of incidents similar to this occurring are endless, e.g. large parties of schoolchildren boarding one carriage through all doors and not being able to alight through all doors etc.
The position of the SH&SC is very clear. From a Safety point of view these trials are dangerous, unsafe and must cease immediately. The RMT are absolutely determined to maintain the principal of ALARP. The removal of a very safe procedure to be replaced by a flawed and high risk alternative is something this union is not prepared to sit idly by and allow to be introduced without a fight.