Formal Investigation:
LUL have agreed today to hold a formal investigation into recent incidents within Section 15 Possessions. They have stated ‘Due to the recent protection irregularities and near misses that have been reported in possessions and specified areas, Jill Collis, Director of HSE, has commissioned a Formal Investigation. The investigation will undertake a holistic review of the underlying causes of all of the recent incidents and will also look at the effectiveness of our current safety management system controls to prevent a reoccurrence into these incidents’
Nice words and our reps will participate completely. Hardly what we have been demanding
Briefings Continue:
However, at the same time, Section 15 possessions are continuing and our members are being placed at risk. Incidents are occurring almost nightly, yet LUL are out every night ‘briefing’ staff and then pretending this is sufficient. These insufficient briefings hardly cover Section 15 Possessions and do very little to address the core issues surround these possessions.
LUL have a cuts agenda. They have removed possessions from PWT training and are trying to end a professional and tried and tested method of booking out with the Track Access Controllers. Replacing it instead with a rag bag process where people are badly briefed and safety is left to chance.
LUL call it holistic, we call it horrific.
Basic lack of safety
Let’s remember that these possessions have been rushed in without even the basic levels of safety and staff are left to muddle through a process that they do not understand and has no checks and balances. They do not even sign you out of a possession! Those in control are not even reported to Compliance and Licensing if there is an error. Indeed they are not safety critical roles for the most part. We warned that the introduction of dumbed down Protection Masters in PWT would lead to a watering down in safety, however, even we did not foresee the levels it would sink to or the speed at which track access has been like amateur night of the keystone cops.
They rushed the process in, they blame badly briefed and untrained staff, when the real culprits at fault for this whole charade sit in the head offices of LUL
Jubilee Lines Possessions
Even next few weeks, Possessions including Section 15 possessions are taking place on the Jubilee Line that uses TBTC signalling systems. The SSDM’s at Neasden are being put down as key contacts despite not even receiving the minimal safety briefings and ‘have no details on anything to do with this or what safety checks we need to undertake before implementing any requests in relation to this’.
This is a recipe for disaster and is, as we reiterate, the tried and tested methods need to be reinstated.
So please vote yes for safety and lets make sure its not only every journey that counts