David Broadbent

Said the following about SWL:

“I'm nominating this team for their collaborative effort and dedication.

On 15 May 2015, IP East Midlands became the first region to Go Live with Planning and Delivering Safe Work (PDSW) initiative. This successful implementation was reliant on 27 teams from our supply chain, IP signalling and the Route teams coming together to support our region and PDSW. Working together we co-ordinated training to ensure we had 500 SWLs fully trained and competent, ensured that processes within individual companies were amended to reflect this new way of working and shared a joint vision to launch PDSW successfully.

PDSW will deliver long term benefits: not only improving our overall approach to safety but also the way we integrate the planning and delivery of our works moving forward.

However, at the beginning of the SWL implementation process, many parties were skeptical of the process and how it would improve safety. The PDSW implementation sessions proved to be challenging as the supply chain took on board the requirements of SWL on top of delivering its ‘day job’.

However, over six months the supply chain overcame their skepticism, dedicated resources to SWL and the team became coordinated and effective. Here’s how:

• Training was organised and coordinated on their behalf by NR’s Rob Barker, who had to deal with issues such as course alterations, late changes, and urgent requests

• Everything was transparent, with a spirit of sharing and openness

• Companies who were specialists in one area supported companies requiring mentoring or experience as part of the COSS / ES assessment

• An onsite training facility was created for all to share and use to practice using SWL in a safe environment

• Recognition that the region was the first to Go Live brought the group together to explore options and work through solutions

• There was a joined up approach throughout, for example, the implementation meetings included suppliers and the route teams throughout

• All parties actively worked together at the possession reviews to de-conflict and resolve issues, which led to a heightened feeling of empathy and understanding

• Supply chain/IP and the route delivery personnel sat around the same table discussing and supporting each other in their works

• The teams were encouraged to share best practice in their methods of working and raising permits

• We jointly developed a revised short term planning process to improve how we plan to enable works to be delivered in the East Midlands.

The teams involved were Network Rail (EM Route; Maintenance, Capex and Work Delivery, PDSW); EMSR; Carillion (Rail Systems, CPL & Plain Line); AMCO; Murphy; Galliford Try; AmeySersa; Telent; Signalling Solutions Ltd; Siemens; Construction Marine; Sisk; Jacobs Consulting; Arup Consulting; Atkins Global; Bridgeway; High Output Track Renewals; QTS; Aecom; Amey Consulting and the Thameslink Project.“