NEWSFLASH
HEATHROW EXPRESS FILLS THE
PLATFORM GAP Heathrow Express (HEx) has become the first rail company in the UK to install platform gap-fillers at its stations to reduce the risk of passenger accidents.
The bespoke gap-fillers sit along the edge of station platforms to reduce the size of the gap between the train and platform edge.
Stepboard accidents are a major concern in the rail industry. They occur when a passenger falls between the train and the platform edge. They are responsible for 48% of the overall fatality risk to passengers, and cause knock-on delays to train services while the passenger’s welfare is being looked after. The gap-fillers work to reduce the risk of these accidents.
A year-long trial at HEx’s Heathrow Terminal 5 station found there were no stepboard incidents wherever gap-fillers were in use. The devices are now to be installed at all Heathrow Express train stations by the end of May 2015.
Joanne Lewis, head of safety for Heathrow Express, said: “Our top priority is ensuring Heathrow Express, and the rail industry as a whole, is as safe as possible for customers and employees.
“Stepboard accidents are a concern across the rail industry, and for good reason; they can be fatal. With demand for rail travel predicted to double over the next 30 years in the UK, devices like gap-fillers could be a big help.”
The platform gap-fillers, designed by Australian company Delkor Rail, also enhance access for disabled
passengers, and improve efficiency of passenger boarding, reducing the number of delays.
Heathrow Express, which carries 17,000 people a day between Paddington and Heathrow, is now working with the Rail Safety & Standards Board (RSSB) and other train operating companies (TOCs) to develop industry-wide National Platform Train Interface (PTI) and Platform Gap-Filler strategies.
ARE TRADESPEOPLE COMPLACENT ABOUT ASBESTOS EXPOSURE?
A new survey has shown that while nearly 60% of tradespeople can identify asbestos and 40% know somebody that has been affected by it, the majority still believe that stress is the bigger threat to their health.
In the survey, by industrial diseases compensation specialists Jefferies Solicitors, 31% of tradespeople said stress was the UK’s biggest single cause of work-related deaths, while only 5% said that asbestos exposure is accountable.
Respondents listed other reasons such as an accident with machinery (18%), a stroke or heart attack (17%) or working at height (14%) ahead of asbestos exposure.
MENTAL HEALTH ON THE AGENDA
AT INCENTIVE FM Incentive FM has partnered with a UK charity to train staff on mental health awareness and suicide intervention. Incentive FM’s team at St Stephen’s Shopping Centre in Hull took part in a successful pilot scheme ahead of a national rollout across other locations managed by the company.
Incentive FM was looking for a way to assist its employees who may come into contact with someone who has thoughts of suicide. The training course, delivered by Hull & East Yorkshire Mind, provided team members at St Stephen’s with a clear model for suicide intervention and
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the confidence to use this practice when needed. As part of the training staff were taught how to recognise when a person might be thinking about suicide and how to respond to a suicide first aid situation.
After receiving positive feedback from participating employees at St Stephen’s, Incentive FM will now ensure the training is delivered to its staff at other locations across the UK.
This latest community-based project follows on from a joint national initiative with charity Guide Dogs to ensure blind and partially sighted people can safely enjoy trips to Incentive FM-managed shopping centres. As part of the project, staff underwent training to learn about appropriate levels of assistance and potential onsite hazards.
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The results are in contrast to recent statistics from Health Safety Executive, which state that asbestos is the biggest workplace killer in the UK, with 20 tradespeople dying from asbestos exposure every week.
Only half of the tradespeople questioned had been trained in how to deal with asbestos, despite 36% claiming that they had been exposed to asbestos at some point in their working lives.
In fact, the survey suggests that asbestos is still a big problem in the UK, with 40% of respondents admitting to knowing somebody who has been diagnosed with an asbestos health problem, such as mesothelioma.
www.jefferies-solicitors.com 7
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