conference
peter brown reports from the iosh rail industry conference 09
Louise Christian: Victims must be listened to
louise christian
She stunned many by reading out poignant
letters from a Grayrigg survivor and the widow
Chief inspector:
of a victim of the Potters Bar crash before telling
safety can be
those in the silenced hall: ‘The one thing they want
improved at every
above all is that it doesn’t happen again and other
people won’t have to go through the same as them.
level – even within
‘The Potters Bar rail crash was, I think, one of the
inspectorate
huge scandals. We are now seven-and-a-half years
after the Potters Bar rail crash and there still hasn’t Safety experts have been
been an inquest or inquiry.’ told that the Office of Rail
She claimed that initially the families of the Regulation is doing a good
victims of Ladbroke Grove and Southall had been job but could do better,
under the impression that it was driver error that with the admission coming
caused the crashes. But, she alleged that it was the from none other than the
role of management to take a greater degree of organisation’s chief inspector
Improvements to rail safety and the complete responsibility and blame. Ian Prosser.
alleviation of train crashes will only happen when She blasted: ‘In the beginning there had been Stunning some of the
the industry listens more to the victims, according the finger pointing at the little man. All of the delegates at the Rail Industry
to campaigning human rights solicitor Louise clients I’ve had want to see that it doesn’t happen Conference 09 in London,
Christian. The senior partner and founder of law again.’ the ORR director of rail safety
firm Christian Khan, which has represented victims The award-winning solicitor said the reason she pointed out that there was
of Potters Bar, Ladbroke Grove, Southall and attended the conference was to make sure that ‘the no room for complacency
Grayrigg disasters was addressing the delegates at terrible things that have happened to them’ are not from any individual or
Rail Industry Conference 09 in London. repeated. organisation involved in
the railway. He spoke of the
‘continual renewal’ to strive
‘training must be standardised’
for excellence.
He told his audience:
‘There is no room for
Pop mogul Dr Pete Waterman wages while the company pays and the young to pick up a complacency. It’s about this
OBE has called on the railway for training. And he warned worth ethic he said: ‘The biggest continual renewal theme – it
industry to adopt a standard delegates: ‘If we don’t look after problem is having to explain to is having this bold vision.
training scheme, rather than our skills, we won’t have an young people why they have to Some organisations have
run in-house schemes at industry.’ get up at 6:30 to be at work at bolder visions about striving
individual companies. He Explaining the importance 7:30. They haven’t even heard of for excellence. Through a
wants the government to return of getting people back to work an alarm clock.’ systematic report we can
to full apprenticeships. improve this excellence.
Giving an account of what
pete waterman ‘We understand as a
has happened at his London regulator we have to do a
and North Western Railway good job. We are doing a
Heritage Company, he told Rail good job, but we can do
Industry Conference 09 that after better.’
approaching the government he Meanwhile, ORR chair
now has a scheme in place at his Anna Walker, delivered the
premises in Crewe. latest safety figures for the
Unemployed youngsters are industry to the conference,
being recruited as apprentices to stating: ‘The number of rail
learn skills to restore locomotives workers harmed or injured
and equipment for the heritage in accidents in 2008 was
movement – an idea that he 26, down from 44 in 2004.
wants to see expanded into the Between 1996 and 2008 there
national rail industry. has been an average of less
It is, he claimed, cheaper for than one fatality per year.’
the government to pay their
JANUARY 2010 : rail professional 21
RPJan10 pp21 Safety Conference.indd 21 11/12/09 13:05:40
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