Safety Valve

Delude • Retreat • Indemnify • Prevaricate • Squander

Serial trouble-causer Graeme Bickerdike (or 'that b***** f****** c***' as he is known within RSSB) has been highlighting the challenges of real life on the line for over a decade.

He produced the much-respected SafetyNet videos and TSSG track safety website before leading work on the COSS and PTS Handbooks which unpicked the Rule Book's intricate knitting. He even helped to develop a pocket Pee Wee system. These efforts lead to him receiving the IRSE's Wing Award for Safety in 2007.

He continues to campaign passionately for practical engagement with on-track challenges, rather than more red tape and trivia which tie arms behind backs.

Recent outbursts

	Colour blind July 2010 How come safety strategists can't get their heads around the broader risks associated with supposedly 'better' methods of protection?
	Same old 'New Approach'? June 2010 Seven years after its cosmetic rehash, a new Rule Book is being implemented in gribs and grabs. What does this one offer that the last one didn't?
	I want to be alone May 2010 Do our trackworkers really demonstrate their competence by temporarily digesting and then regurgitating distances and bullet points?
	Total recall April 2010 It's getting to the point where RAIB doesn't need to investigate accidents - it can just copy and paste a new location name into its last report.
	Cart before the horse March 2010 'Jam tomorrow' is a tasty message but today's railway needs a sustaining diet if the maintenance regime is not to become malnourished.
	Views from the grandstand February 2010 Temporary speed restrictions and a lookout ban - how trackworker safety could be improved on Cloud Cuckoo Land's rail network.
	Talk a good game January 2010 Network Rail's top brass are committed to improving workforce safety, except when it comes to problems demanding time, effort and money.
	Different rules apply December 2009 So what does the wider industry think of RAIB's inquiry timescales - "quicker than other safety organisations" as asserted in its Annual Report, or "poor"?
	You're on your own November 2009 So, RSSB is to rewrite the Rule Book. And not before time. But who will it really benefit - those at the front line or the directors worried about corporate liability?
	When will we ever learn? October 2009 When a railwayman loses his life at work, you'd think that all stops would be pulled out to prevent a recurrence. Please reconsider this expectation.
	On the blind side September 2009 20 months after it happened, we can consider a tragedy which left a trackworker with brain damage, but do investigators have the skills to understand its cause?
	We've been here before August 2009 We're meant to learn lessons from accidents and yet the same causal factors recur time and time again because strategists don't understand people.
	The haves and the have-lots July 2009 It leaves a sour taste when the generals take home generous remunation packages whilst conniving to impose tougher T&Cs on their troops.
	To boldly go... June 2009 The first rule you learn before setting foot on the railway is 'never endanger yourself'. Unfortunately, 'one-size-fits-all' wins in an emergency.
	Nice video, shame about the song May 2009 RAIB's report into the long-gone trackworker injury at Victoria has still not seen the light of day. But it has just published a fabulous promotional DVD.
	Blue sky thinking outside the box April 2009 Welcome to Austria - a land where, apparently, common sense prevails. Perhaps they could sort out the East Coast muck spreader for us.
	Take a step back March 2009 The PTS Handbook's long-overdue seventh issue recently emerged into the cold light of scrutiny; following hot on its heels was a list of errors.
	Read About It Belatedly February 2009 It passes judgement on the compliance of others with rules and regulations, yet RAIB routinely fails to meet a generous requirement of an EU Directive.
	Wrong place, wrong time January 2009 "Safety is at the forefront of everything we do" or so Network Rail claims. It doesn't look that way when the same old failings put in regular appearances.
	Delays affect RAIB's service December 2008 Some 14 months after the event, RAIB has finally broken the silence surrounding last year's accident at Leatherhead with the whys and wherefores.
	Big news November 2008 The world's financial system might have been in meltdown but RSSB has sidestepped the turmoil by pocketing another £15million for research.
	The 'haves' and 'have nots' October 2008 While the rest of us fight to survive the financial storm, Network Rail's top brass shelter behind their grand bonuses.
	The immoral maze September 2008 What do you get when you give an organisation £10million to spend on research? The naval-gazing paralysis of 'Taking Safe Decisions'.
	All white on the site August 2008 Hold onto your colour charts. Yellow and orange hardhats are living on borrowed time. From now on it's white only, with Pantone 2935c for new starters!
	What a performance! July 2008 Network Rail has decreed that our safety critical brothers must evolve into professional communicators. And it has decided to achieve this by issuing crass edicts by PowerPoint.
	The Emperor's new clothes June 2008 RSSB was not amused by our review of its feeble Strategic Safety Plan 2008-10 back in April. It claims that the PTS content is meant to be lightweight and only employers should be reading it. How many more straws can our safety leaders clutch?
	Safe but not sound May 2008 Last month, a "former track maintenance engineer" publicised his view that red zone working at switches and crossings should be consigned to the history books. From which hat does this magician intend to pull all those extra line blockages?
	Empty box, golden wrapping April 2008 The railway's 2008-2010 Strategic Safety Plan was launched silently in January. No wonder RSSB didn't draw attention to it - it's completely devoid of substance.
	COSSt a packet March 2008 Reform of our competency regime offers a rare win-win - sharpening the focus of our safety critical friends whilst clawing back cash by the bucketful. Doing nothing will leave us continuing to manage the fallout from floundering practitioners.
	Utopia in a real world February 2008 Having sent the old PTS video to the knackers yard, NR has unveiled 20 new bite-sized modules featuring real people in the real world. How long before magnifying glasses and slow-motion controls reveal some procedural oddities?
	Blissful ignorance strikes again January 2008 'Point watching' has become a pragmatic solution to work at busy junctions. Unfortunately it was not applied last March at Tinsley Green, resulting in a near-death experience for a welder. Why then does RAIB want to ban the practice?
	Plan, resource, deliver December 2007 Five years ago this month, the railway was entertained to a Christmas pantomine - the implementation of Rimini. After a few difficult months, it cemented its place in the track safety landscape. What difference has it made and will it still be with us in another five years?
	Elephant in the room November 2007 Statistics suggest that workforce safety has recovered well from the tragedy of Tebay. Reports received by CIRAS paint a rather different picture. What's the real story and why do managers focus on the 'workface procedure' as a safeguard against cock-up and conspiracy.
	The forgotten art of risk assessment October 2007 Policymakers mandate irrelevant PPE. The RMT wants dedicated COSSs. Whatever happened to 'horses for courses'?
	Golden nuggets in dark corners September 2007 In March 2006, eight trackworkers - fully laden with paperwork - had a lucky escape when a train rampaged through their unprotected worksite. Why did every one of the industry's defences fail them?
	Revelation! September 2007 Recent research by the HSE and RSSB has inspired us at death by health and safety to begin our own programme of investigations. We're sure you'll agree that it represents staggering value for money.
	The pendulum swings August 2007 Since the Seventies, a scattering of safeguards have transformed the working lives of many railwayman. But safety engineers have now buried frontline activity beneath a burden of irrelevance.
	Wise after the event? July 2007 Trains are not to be tangled with. Luckily their approach is predictable - governed by steel guides. What then can we do to lift the uncertainty of work near junctions which has caused several deaths over the past decade?
	Put a sock in it June 2007 Don’t bother developing a robust rationale next time you want the rules changed - just stir-up a press campaign, secure the support of your MP and threaten legal action.
	Blood squeezed from precious stone May 2007 Phase two of the changes to our possession procedures come into force on 2nd June. It's not easy to find a clear path through the burgeoning verbiage.
	Damned if you do, fired if you don't April 2007 CIRAS research lifts the lid on the causes of rule violation. Half are deliberate, and most of these result from specific instructions by a manager or supervisor.
	Surfing the knowledge ocean March 2007 Another stream of data traffic has been diverted onto the superhighway. The National Electronic Sectional Appendix is great news for Rimini planners but why will contractors have to pay for it?
	Going through the motions February 2007 Publishing safety plans is a risky business as effort is required to deliver them. Three supposed 'commitments' recently caught our eye before disappearing over the horizon with their backsides on fire.
	Foot-in-mouth disease January 2007 It's undeniable that the scourge of foot-in-mouth disease causes safety to lose its grip on a daily basis. Will Network Rail's day-long workshops help achieve its goal of world class voice communications throughout the industry?
	Three-course dog's dinner December 2006 Where are the T2 rules? In a three-course dog's dinner comprising T2 itself, module AM and December's PON. Is this the 'clarity in action' we were promised during the Rule Book's cosmetic surgery?
	Plugging the hole November 2006 Techno-wizards have lit a flickering flame of hope for those of us prejudiced against separated green zones - the Train Alert Handswitch. Will our leaders recognise its life-saving potential and help navigate it through the perilous approval quagmire?
	Suicidal tendencies October 2006 Safety is compromised by its own complications. Whilst flaws in our processes have long been recognised, the courage and determination to radically reform them still lies undiscovered. The price for that failing continues to be made by our trackworkers.
	Gravy train September 2006 With infrastructure costs soaring, it's no longer tenable to invest in health and safety nonsense just because there's a budget to be spent or box to be ticked.
	Another fine mess August 2006 The brown sticky stuff would hit the fan if office workers were sprayed with sewerage every hour. However North East trackworkers have to grin and bear it.
	The silly season July 2006 Its members often fall foul of the rat's nest of track safety instructions and yet the RMT is marshalling its forces against simplification of T12 and T12.
	Sleeping dog dies June 2006 The TSSG sniffed out innovation, made lots of noise and dragged workforce safety from the undergrowth. But it's now passed away after a period of ill health.
	Hell and damnation May 2006 Cut the shackles. Mop up the trifle. Let's rediscover a simple, forgotten principle: safety stems from people, not process.
	A balanced diet April 2006 Red zone working is fundamentally sound and the right choice for some tasks. We should select the best system from the menu, not the first edible option.
	The elastic limit March 2006 Welcome to a 21st Century worksite featuring 76 COSSs, 34 machines, two trains and a demanding client. And you're working to rules created in the 20th Century.
	Close encounters February 2006 Life-threatening incidents have been part of the railway's furniture since Stephenson launched his Rocket. Even now we average ten close encounters between trackworkers and trains every month. But why do many more near misses go unreported?
	Shorn of the fripperies January 2006 Some passengers now have to fork out "eye watering" sums for the pleasure of travelling on our trains. So it's incumbent on the industry to extract maximum value from every penny earned. Why then does RSSB insist on embracing peripheral trivia?
	The corridor of uncertainty December 2005 Separated green zones have become the default safe system for routine activities in darkness but they neither prevent an encounter with passing trains nor warn of their approach. They offer all the protection of a chocolate fireguard and the sooner they're relegated from the Rimini Premier League the safer people will be.
	The fog begins to clear November 2005 No sooner has the current edition of the PTS Handbook settled into its home of the dusty shelf than a new one falls through the letter box. But issue 6 - which goes live in December - is very different. At long last, the handbook is going back to basics, offering a common sense reference and revision resource for the new starter.
	Window dressing October 2005 Site induction courses. Endless briefings. The grotesque destruction of the rain forest that is a typical method statement. It all purports to improve our safety. In reality, it's just a cardboard facade for companies to hide behind.
	Death by design September 2005 Trackworker fatalities are happening all too regularly - it's a serious challenge for the railway. So why do trackworkers get killed? Simple - because that's the climate the industry has created.
	Access all areas? July 2005 The term 'position of safety' is self-explanatory. Such a shame then that trackworkers have to walk in a 'position of danger' to get to their sites of work. Their institutionally conditioned to tolerate missing cesses but why should they have to?
	Rearranging the deckchairs May 2005 The COSS Handbook seaped out of the treacle factory with the bold intention of explaining track safety instructions in a clear and understandable way. Hang on a minute - wasn't the new Rule Book meant to do that?

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