Health and safety

RMT on BTP conference on violence on transport services:

General Secretary Mick Cash said.

"‎The public should be under no illusions. The whole object of policy on our transport services at the moment is to axe staff and that gives a green light to thugs, drunks and racists to indulge in their violent, abusive and anti-social behaviour.

"From chopping guards off the trains, to closing ticket offices on London Underground to cutting staff on stations and platforms the whole austerity and profit driven agenda is turning our transport system into a thugs and criminals paradise.

Management are still pushing to introduced a new procedure for when a rear M door alarm activates – proceeding to the next station rather than investigating first.

We believe this is unsafe for a number of reasons. It is also an example of management’s attempts to dumb down our job by taking away the need for a train operator.

Here is the March 2015 edition of Upfront Health & Safety News; a newsletter for train drivers.

In this edition:

• Oblique Images: Platform CCTV Problems Need Fixing
• Policing Night Tube – 100 Cops Recruited
• No Train Radio, No Problem!

Transport union RMT said today that it is step up the independent monitoring of crowding and safety on both rail and tube after a child fell between a train and the platform at Baker Street yesterday afternoon in the latest shocking incident that raises serious questions about the safety of passengers while top transport bosses repeatedly ignore union warnings.

Yesterday's incident at Baker Street follows the horrific events at Clapham South last week when a woman was dragged under a train, the continuing chaos at London Bridge and major incidents at Oxford CIrcus and Brixton.

Jubilee South branch passed the following motion:

This branch is concerned that once again a new procedures has been introduced on the Jubilee Line which decreases safety checks in order to avoid disruption to the train service.

The latest Jubilee Line supplement changes the procedure for responding to an 'M door alarm'. Previously a rear M door alarm would require the train driver to stop the train where it is and check the rear M door is secured before proceeding. LUL want to alter this procedure so that the train can continue to the next station and then be checked.

Union warnings of lethal overcrowding at "death trap" tube station were ignored by underground bosses.

Tube union RMT revealed today that it formally warned underground bosses of lethal overcrowding at Clapham South station in a specially convened safety meeting last week, warnings that were ignored. That most recent warning followed previous alerts flagged up by the union over the past year about death trap overcrowding ‎at stations along sections of the Northern Line.

RMT demands action over assaults on staff in London Bridge chaos
RAIL UNION RMT has today written to three train operators, Southern, Southeastern and Thameslink, along with Network Rail, demanding urgent action over assaults and abuse of staff caught in the crossfire of the continuing chaos at London Bridge. Staff have been threatened, had hot coffee thrown over them and been spat at as passengers take out their anger on the station workforce.

The Train’s Health and Safety Council have received enquiries lately about what is covered in periodic age medical assessments. Below is a summary of the reply we received back from Occupational Health.

The periodic medical assessments that are undertaken include the following:

Health questionnaire:

Tests: Distance vision, near vision, colour vision, blood pressure, pulse, height weight and BMI, audiogram, mobility test, urine test (glucose, blood, protein), (blood sugar if glucose in urine or known Diabetes)

In this edition of the London Underground train drivers newsletter 'Upfront:Health & Safety News':

• NIGHT TUBE CONSULTATIONS UNDERWAY
• Could relaxation of meds restrictions benefit drivers?
• Depot rules belong in the rule book
• Derogation, waiver, concession: it's out of date!
  

CALLING ALL TRAIN OPERATORS
Do you suffer from any of the following? Bad back, neck, shoulders, wrists, arms, elbows, hands or knees. If the answer is YES to any then please go to the following link below and complete the survey.

In 2013, I undertook the largest survey on the Victoria Line (attached below) with 70% of the Train Operators (both Aslef & RMT members) completing the survey. This was to establish the truth regarding this particular ill-health.

• Click here to complete the survey