Railway night work safety deserves more attention

Night work

Railway repair works are mainly carried out at night to allow trains to continue running during the day and to minimise disruption to passengers and transport operators.

Many parties, little coordination

The exploratory study (Dutch) shows that there is room for improvement in the area of healthy and safe working practices when conducting railway night work. Multiple contractors are working on or along the same section of track at the same time, each of them using their own methods and equipment. Supervision of the overall performance of the work is often lacking.

Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment

Moreover, it was found that only 1 of the 12 companies involved explicitly addresses night work or risks associated with multiple parties working concurrently in its mandatory Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA). The sector's focus is primarily on railway safety.

Acknowledging safety risks

Even though this is justified according to the Netherlands Labour Authority, employers must also acknowledge risks such as fatigue and noise. It is also common for various types of work to be carried out at the same site. For example, one contractor is performing welding work, while another is working with highly flammable materials at the same time. This creates certain risks, wherefore it is important for employers to take preventative measures to minimise these safety risks.

Large numbers of self-employed

Almost half of the staff working on the railways at night are self-employed. Common roles include 'track maintenance technician' and 'workplace safety officer'; crane operators or welders are also at times self-employed workers. Insufficient insight exists into the hours such self-employed workers work at night, or into whether they perform additional work elsewhere during the day, resulting in overly long total work hours – which is unhealthy and increases risks.

Pseudo self-employment

Many self-employed workers perform their work at night under the supervision of contractors or workplace supervision companies (WSCs). The main contractor decides where, when, and how they work. They perform their work in fixed teams, under the supervision of others. This very closely resembles being in paid employment – while the associated protection is lacking. This impression is further reinforced by the fact that self-employed workers have to pay contributions to workplace safety companies for training, as well as liability insurance premiums.

Working hours: virtually no monitoring

On paper, employers and contractors monitor working hours using the Digital Safety Passport (DSP). This lists which persons are authorised to perform work on the railway, as well as the times that have passed between shifts. In practice, however, the DSP app appears to be primarily used as a system for recording attendance, rather than as a system for tracking working hours. 83 per cent of workplace security officers say they monitor working hours via the DSP, but in doing so, the sector is relying on a system that offers little or no oversight:

• the app does not record other work activities performed by a worker during the day;
• manual adjustments allow for manipulation;
• some employees do not clock in or out, or work without a pass;
• the system can easily be circumvented.

Future

The Netherlands Labour Authority will be using the exploratory study to inform the sector of the situation. In addition, ProRail, contractors, WSCs, and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management are working on systemic improvements to gain a better understanding of working hours, to pay attention to the risks of fatigue, and to allow more time for maintenance during the day. Everyone wants to ensure rail safety. Employers have a responsibility towards employees and self-employed workers who keep the rail network running by working night shifts.