Health and safety

Campaigning for higher health and safety standards at work, and opposing the employers' shortcuts

Six And Out!!

The strike on Tuesday September 7 was magnificently supported by Train and Station RMT members.
The few and infrequent services that did run on the Bakerloo Line offered little by way of “a world class tube service.” The LU managers supposedly running the railway also decided to throw out tried and tested safety mechanisms put in place following the Kings Cross fire disaster.

STRIKE SOLID AS RMT DEMANDS RAIL REGULATOR INVESTIGATION INTO BREACHES OF POST-KINGS CROSS FIRE SAFETY RULES

Tube union RMT confirmed this morning that support for strike action amongst both TSSA and RMT members’ remains rock solid as the two unions continue their fight for tube safety and safe staffing levels.

RMT are also filing reports this morning with the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) detailing clear breaches of safety regulations:

London Underground playing “fast and loose” with safety as strike looms

TUBE UNION RMT today accused London Underground of “playing fast and loose” with safety in the run up to strike action starting later today as the union revealed that tube management have issued a call volunteers to try and run services regardless of whether they have the necessary Operational Licences.

RMTv: Pat Sikorski Discusses LUL Job Cuts And Proposed Maintenance Changes During Euston Station Leafletting

Assistant General Secretary Pat Sikorski discusses cuts to jobs at LU and changes to maintenance routines at London Underground. The interview took place whilst RMT activists were leafletting passengers at Euston station.

In the interview, conducted with Geoff Martin, Pat explains "We're telling everyone here at Euston that it's cuts in jobs in stations like this that is going to cost lives in the future....we had a fire in an escalator, the alarm failed to go off - it took alert station staff members to evacuate the station and save lives"

Euston Station Passengers To Be Warned of Staff Cuts Safety Risks Following Undetected Fire Beneath Escalator

Aftermath of the King's Cross fire
(A picture of a Dalmatian)

TUBE UNION RMT is to leaflet rush-hour passengers at Euston station this Wednesday morning over cuts to safety and safety-critical jobs following revelations that fire detection systems at the station failed last month creating the potential for a major disaster that was only avoided by the actions of a vigilant member of station staff.

RMT also confirmed today that it has written to London Underground requesting that all fire detection equipment at sub-surface stations be inspected within the next 72 hours under Section 12 Fire Regulations which were introduced after Kings Cross.

Euston Escalator Fire Exposes Lethal Consequences Of Axing Tube Staff

TUBE UNION RMT today demanded a full external investigation into an escalator fire at Euston station four weeks ago where smoke detection systems failed and the station was only safely evacuated through the experience and vigilance of station-based staff. RMT have this morning referred the matter to the safety regulator the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR).

The Euston fire, which has close parallels with the Kings Cross disaster in 1987 one stop up the line, was caused by mechanical friction in the closed chamber underneath an escalator igniting accumulated dust. The incident happened on the 6th July.

Tube Fleet Maintenance Staff To Be Balloted For Action as London Underground Doubles Time Between Crucial Safety Inspections

TUBE UNION RMT confirmed today that it is preparing a ballot for action of all tube fleet maintenance staff following an announcement by London Underground that they plan to double the length of time between safety-critical train inspections from 14 days to 28 days.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: “Hardly a day goes by now without TfL and LU getting caught out playing fast and loose with staff and passenger safety. These fortnightly inspections identify worn brake blocks, cracks in securing brackets and other distressed components. Moving these inspections to monthly is literally dicing with death in the interests of saving money.

Tube bosses back RMT fears over safety by admitting that cuts mean services are running on infrastructure dating back to 1920's

AFTER MONTHS of accusing tube union RMT of scaremongering over the safety impact of cuts on London Underground, tube bosses this morning put their hands up and admitted that the cuts mean that services are running on dangerous and rotten infrastructure dating back to the 1920's with worse to come in terms of the risks to millions of passengers as the Government lines up further attacks on the TFL budget and the tube upgrade programme.

RMT underground members begin balloting today for strike action across the entire network over jobs and safety cuts.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:

Wembley Central station stand firm for safety in the workplace

The new Health & Safety rep on the Wembley Central Group, Alan Foster has raised the issue of places of safety for staff on the gateline. On London Underground the standard place of safety is the GLAP. But when LU took over the control of the silver link stations north of Queens Park in 2007 none were put in. Management were quick enough off the mark to bring in gate lines to maximise revenue but the safety of the staff working the gate lines was deemed secondary.

Survey Suggests LGBT People Feel Unsafe on Public Transport

Research by several organisations across London has found that LGBT people fear for their safety on public transport including the tube and that there is a higher incident of assault - both verbal and physical - on public transport than there is in other public areas.

The British Transport Police state ‘For passengers, feeling safe is as important as being safe. The visible presence of rail staff, PCSOs and police officers can reduce the fear of crime dramatically.’

With these figures showing how LGBT people feel about travel on the underground, it should be considered that many LGBT people will feel more at risk of assault on the underground as staff cuts will inevitably mean the reduction of staff visibility.