Business profile
CIRAS reports on its success
The CIRAS (confidential incident and reporting and analysis system) is entering its 18th year of operation. With no breaches of confidentiality during this time, CIRAS is rightly proud of this achievement
H
ead of CIRAS, Paul Russell, talking about his experiences within the rail industry and what he has in store for
CIRAS, said: ‘I’ve been in position since 2012 but started my working life in the rail industry some 27 years ago as a signaller for British Rail. I worked the old- style lever boxes on the London Liverpool Street line and spent the majority of my career after that on the Southend Victoria line and in Shenfield.’
Russell gained a great operational baseline of knowledge from his time as a signaller, but felt it was time to move on to pastures new within the industry. A long career in rail followed, with senior positions with companies including Great Eastern and Serco.
Changes to be made
Russell was head-hunted for the role at CIRAS, but, through previous experience of it had identified where changes could be made. Russell had received CIRAS reports when he was head of safety at various train operators and remembers thinking ‘not on my watch’. He believed the change needed to come in the form of more effective communication to CIRAS’s subscribers, with a focus on helping them understand the reasons for CIRAS being used. ‘Understanding that would help address the factors that prevent internal reporting systems from being used, or where they were used, to look at why they were inappropriate’, said Russell. With big ideas in store for CIRAS,
Russell said: ‘I wouldn’t have taken the job if I thought that I couldn’t implement change.’ Recognising that the initial reason for CIRAS being introduced in companies was to contribute to a learning culture, he felt that something had been lost in CIRAS’s role. ‘In eighteen years of operation, CIRAS is still receiving reports similar to those it received back in 1996 so we need to address this and provide more helpful information to subscribing organisations. For example we are looking to give a heightened analysis of factors and gain detailed intelligence. This can help inform companies of their future training needs and safety plans, and may give an indication of what the culture is like. If we want to move forward, CIRAS needs to be more informative about its
May 2013 Page 107
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