Any stories? Email theworks@networkrail.co.uk

The Shield

Speed: know you limit? – page 6

Issue 03, AuGusT 2015 THe PAPeR foR RAIl PeoPle In THe souTHeRn ReGIon

THEY ARE a familiar sight on the rail-way network and great when work-ing at height.

Yet mobile elevating work platforms – better known as cherry pickers – can be killers.

Between 2003 and 2009, six work-ers were killed while using them.

Some of these deaths were caused by operators being crushed between

the cherry picker and the structure be-ing worked on.

Now, to make them safer, a new piece of kit called ‘SanctuaryZone’ is being used.

It is being employed at Effingham Junction maintenance depot where workers are replacing the roof.

Continued on page 4 >>

Steel frame is the height of safety

Bridge over troublesome

waterON SITE

PAGE 7

SEE pAgE

WIN dINNER foR YouR TEAm

8

IN THE ZONE

fREE poSTER INSIdE

sTeel sHell sAncTuARy: BARTosz BAGInskI demonsTRATes THe sAncTuARyzone

2 The ShIeLD ISSue 03, AuGuST 2015

What do you think? Get in touch – shield@networkrail.co.uk

mY primary focus is to en-sure that everyone goes home safe from our pro-jects every day. I am as

committed to this as I am to ensuring the safety of my

family and relentlessly strive to deliver

projects with an exceptional safety culture. I firmly be-

lieve that if we all work together in South-ern, we can achieve an exceptional safety culture.

The Shield, which will now be a bi-monthly read, helps us share our safe-ty stories. We need to set our standards exceptionally high, be consistent and unwavering across ALL our teams, and constantly demonstrate the safety lead-ership required to achieve our goal.

Within Osborne our STOPThink! Cul-tural development programme under-

pins the creation of this environment and helps us all to understand why peo-ple think and act in the way they do. It is focused on helping our people make better choices; thinking differently, mak-ing better decisions, changing lives.

Working together with our custom-ers and supply chain will help us em-bed a culture that we all need to move towards. We need to fully embed this learning into our everyday safety deci-sion making.

First Person

This paper is produced for:

John dowsett, managing director at osborne for Infrastructure

The Shield

Written and designed by:

1 pLAN WELL – Consult with and brief everyone in-volved in the operation.

2 TRAININg – This must be an ongoing process from toolbox talks to formal extra training. People

should not shy away from filling gaps in their knowl-edge.

3 RESCuE pRoVISIoN – Always think ‘what if that worker needed rescuing now?’ Speed may be cru-

cial so know where all the right equipment is, how quick-ly the casualty can be reached and whether addition-al rescue lines should be pre-installed.

4 BRIEfINg – Every day and every job is different so briefings must highlight/stress key or new fac-

tors. Ensure everyone is briefed.

5 INSpECTIoNS, EXAmINATIoNS ANd LogS – Daily checks, written logs and regular examina-

tions ensure all equipment remains fit for purpose. Thorough examination is a key requirement under Lift-ing Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOL-ER) and is best carried out by someone external.

6 STAYINg CuRRENT – Everyone involved should be up to date and aware of developing safety con-

cerns. The field is constantly evolving and improving.

7 STAYINg pRACTISEd – When was the last time you practised a rescue, especially a complex one?

If it happens, it needs to be fast, safe and efficient – so teams need to stay practised.

8 SELECTINg EQuIpmENT – Often understated, selecting equipment that is not only fit for pur-

pose but ensures maximum efficiency is key. Compat-ibility of components is a major consideration.

9 KEEp IT WoRKABLE – All too often, those in plan-ning operations lose touch with what it’s like to

be at the sharp end, so job swaps are great and listen-ing to staff feedback is even better.

10 BE HoLISTIC – Introducing a new risk control measure may reduce one risk but create a big-

ger one. Make sure you work closely with others – in specialist WAH disciplines, we are often concerned with our own little niche.

TOP TEN TIPS: PREPARING TO WORK AT HEIGHTmike popham, Work at Height (WAH) Supervisor at de-vegetation contractors, Railscape, gives a masterclass on how to prepare for a safe project

www.beetroot.co.uk

WHEN a toddler’s buggy became trapped on a level crossing, it was a quick-think-ing and safety-conscious Southern Re-gion colleague who came to the rescue.

BCM Construction’s Simon Gregory was off duty and driving home from an

appointment when he noticed a couple struggling to free their child’s pushchair

from the crossing near Emsworth, Hamp-shire, after its wheels became caught on a cat-

tle grid.Site manager Simon recalled: “I could see they looked very

distressed and needed help. I parked up and then went to the crossing, all the time making sure there was no train approach-ing.”

Simon told the couple to concentrate on getting the baby out of the buggy and then to move to a safe place.

“They had clearly panicked a bit and weren’t thinking straight.

Of course, the buggy was still stuck on the line, so I checked again for any signs of a train before pulling it clear.

“I’m used to working on track so I know the dangers but also what to look out for. Luckily the sight lines were very good and I could see some distance.”

Simon’s efforts earned praise from the couple who later con-tacted BCM to offer their thanks for his actions.

SImON PuTS SafETy fIrST IN baby rEScuE

LAST YEAR an operative working for Costain cut through a hidden wasps nest and was hospitalised after being stung 56 times on his face and neck.

Bee and wasp stings can be a real issue for contractors working outside, particularly de-

vegetation contractors.So, extra care was taken when

a bees’ nest was discovered near Kidbrooke station in south east London.The nest’s depth meant digging

it up would kill the bees, so it was agreed to leave it until August when, it was advised,

the bees are likely to leave.

bEE carEfuL

I cOuLd SEE ThEy LOOkEd vEry dISTrESSEd aNd NEEdEd hELP

ReAdy To Go:mIke PoPHAm

ThE harbOur ThEy cOmE A TECHNICALLY challenging project involv-ing almost £2million worth of scaffolding over tidal waters is strengthening one of the network’s most iconic stations.

Portsmouth Harbour station sits on a pier, supported above tidal waters by a 19-span vi-aduct, with four platforms and four tracks.

A comprehensive scaffolding structure has been erected over the water to provide safe access to the underside of the 250m long sta-tion, via a disused track.

Martin Parsons, Project Manager for Os-borne, said one of the most challenging as-pects is working shift patterns around tidal flows.

He said: “As the tide comes in, much of the

equipment has to be dismantled and moved out of the way. It then has to be reassembled and dismantled again according to the tide. Because of the tides we have to be careful with fatigue management and shift patterns.”

Ultra-high pressure jetting, running at 36,000 pounds per square inch has been used to re-move scaling, old paint and rust.

“The guys doing the jetting wear Kevlar suits and we set up exclusion zones as there is enough pressure there to cause someone serious in-jury,” explained Martin. “The machines are also very noisy so we put up acoustic blankets to alleviate that and we take noise readings con-stantly to ensure we are below the mandato-ry requirement for hearing protection.”

ISSue 03, AuGuST 2015 The ShIeLD 3

cABle TIdy: sAfe And sPeedy woRk In kenT

STOP this is unsafe – page 6

A mAJoR cause of accidents is workers being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

So, at Ifield station, West Sussex, where platform re-pairs are being carried out, prominent signage was used to make it clear where exclusion zones started and finished.

Road-Rail Vehicles (RRVs) were used to bring heavy equipment to the site.

Gareth White, Operations Manager for BAM Nuttall, said: “We recognised that when RRVs are working be-tween platforms, there is the risk of entrapment and, therefore, by installing these signs at either end of the RRV working area, it warns people at track level of the potential danger and not to enter. It is easy and cheap but also very effective.”

Signs, based on Network Rail’s key Lifesaving Rules, were created and used to establish mobile exclusion zones to stop people entering dangerous areas.

The signs replicated ones used in briefings so that workers would be familiar with them.

“It’s a way to make people recall the safety signs more effectively,” said Gareth. “We believe that if you highlight a risk with a sign at briefing and then work-ers see the sign on site they’ll make the connection.”

SIGN LaNGuaGE“I’VE WoRKEd in the in-dustry for about 15 years having spent the last eight years on the rail-way. during this time I have learned a lot – I learn something new eve-ry day – and I am contin-ually thinking about what I have learned today and what I will learn tomorrow.

“Communication is a key to ensuring safety and this is something I have definitely taken on board having experienced many breakdowns in communica-tion.

“There is a well-known apocryphal tale from World War I of a message being sent back up the command chain through sever-al ranks. Starting as: ‘send reinforcements, were going to advance’, the message ended up, ridiculously, as: ‘send three and four pence, we’re going to a dance’.

“Over the past few years I have learned to make sure that eve-ryone on site, or involved with a project, is 100 per cent sure of their instructions and is communicating at every stage of the activity they are undertaking.

“Regular communication between the site team is incredibly important to ensure everyone’s safety.”

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I LEARNED…

Adam Szeremeta

THE INSTALLATIoN of high voltage (HV) feeder cable from a moving train is a task that requires great skill, co-ordination and excellent planning.

From loading the feeder drums correctly to individual positioning, it is an operation where teamwork and good communication are essential to ensure a safe job.

The latest work, carried out in Swanscombe, Kent, by BCM Con-struction, involved the installation of new cables to replace old ones.

Project Manager Daniel O’Dowd said: “Everyone working on or around the cable train must have the appro-priate training. The key to a safe oper-ation is good planning, excellent com-munication, as well as great team-work.”

Other safety steps included con-struction manager Rolan Brickell walking the route prior to the posses-sion and drawing up of a comprehen-sive ‘pulling plan’ based on posses-sion limits and the logistics of the feeder route.

Once the operation starts, each train module has two fully-trained op-eratives and one supervisor on board, and two operatives on the ground.

The train supervisor, Peter Quinn, has overall authority, communicating with two-way radios to the module supervisors and the train driver. Peter is key to keeping everything running smoothly.

The latest operation, involving a 27-hour possession, was completed in 10 hours because of the efficiency of the team involved.

The operation followed the principles of BCM’s Watch my Back scheme – behavioural safety training based around Network Rail’s Lifesaving Rules.

WILLING AND C-ABLE

TRIBuTES have been paid to Josh Robinson, a talented young engineer for Costain, who died in a car accident in Austria in July, aged 22.

Josh started his career as a 17-year-old trainee Site Engi-

neer with VolkerFitzpatrick at Ilford Depot and then as a Setting

Out Engineer at Acton Crossrail Site, becoming an important team member.

He self-funded his ONC HNC certification through the Open University and moved to Dyer & Butler as Site Agent on the Kent CP4 works.

After starting his own construction company, Josh returned to VolkerFitzpatrick as a freelance Permanent Way Engineer at Daventry International Rail Depot.

Josh joined Costain in December and immediately got to work developing many building schemes.

Andy Clarke, Framework Director for the South East Multi-Functional Framework, described Josh as a keen engineer who was “eager to learn and to have a little fun”.

Andy added: “He was looking forward to getting out onto site and was a popular member of the team. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Josh’s family and friends.”

Other colleagues paying tribute included Dyer & But-ler’s Tyler Lugg, who said: “I’ll always remember [Josh] working on the railway, teaching me the way, helping me with everything I ever needed.”

Liam Hale, a former VolkerFitzpatrick colleague, de-scribed Josh as “the perfect gentleman”.

cOLLEaGuES rEmEmbEr JOSh

4 The ShIeLD ISSue 03, AuGuST 2015

Always comply with the Lifesaving Rules and stop work if it cannot be done safely

SEEKING SANCTUARY

They’re terrific for working at height but their safety record is not the best. Now a new bit of kit is making life safer for cherry picker operators

SANCTuARYZoNE KEY fEATuRES INCLudE:• A robust frame weighing only 22kg• 660m high for optimum operator protection• Sacrificial steel structure protects operator and machine• Tamperproof security fixings stop unauthorised removal• fully adjustable for easy fitting on or off site• prevents crushing when working at height• doesn’t impede work activities• Works on all major manufacturers’ machines

Currently the frames are attached retrospectively. However, in the future, manufacturers may include them as an integral part of the machine’s design, as well as devices for other safety machines including scissor lifts.

ISSue 03, AuGuST 2015 The ShIeLD 5

Always comply with the Lifesaving Rules and stop work if it cannot be done safely

STEVE Cordwell considers himself a very lucky man. He has developed malignant melanoma (skin cancer) twice and, on both occasions, early diagnosis has saved his life.

Steve, Head of Business Development (Rail) at McNich-olas, now has two very clear messages: regularly check your skin and protect yourself properly from the sun.

“Unfortunately, melanoma has no obvious symptoms,” he said. “It is all about noticing changes on your skin, such as moles that develop an unusual shape or colour.”

Frustratingly, these moles often appear in hard-to-see places. The first time, Steve’s GP noticed a mole on his back during a routine examination. On the second occa-sion, a mole developed on the back of his arm.

After seeing a dermatologist on both occasions, Steve was told the moles were malignant.

pAINfuL“In moles, there are two types of malignant melanoma. The first spreads on the skin and the second goes into the body,” he said. “Mine have been the latter and they caught it early. If they go in less than a millimetre, there is a 90 per cent chance you’ll survive for the next ten years.”

On each occasion, two painful and intrusive operations followed to remove the affected areas.

Steve’s condition means regular self-check ups, as well as appointments with specialists checking for potential-ly fatal secondary effects. He also has a dedicated skin cancer nurse on hand to answer any concerns.

Particular attention must be made to ‘lymph’ areas of the body like armpits, neck and groin, which are particularly susceptible to the secondary effects of melanoma.

Steve has always been fair-skinned and light-haired which has made him more susceptible to the harmful ef-fects of the sun.

“It can develop in childhood and lie dormant for years,” he said.

SENSIBLEMelanoma is an issue for people who work outside dur-

ing the summer months and Steve stresses the need for everyone to be sensible.

“I’ve just come back from Florida but I keep well cov-ered up,” he said. “I am very, very careful and use nothing less than factor 30 sun screen and completely block the areas of my body where I have scar tissue.

“I consider myself to be very lucky,” said Steve. “I was told that – particularly the first time – if it went another couple of months undiagnosed then the mole would have gone into the next stage and made my long-term survival chances much lower. That puts everything into perspective.

“I was lucky in that the doc spotted it and I got it checked, but also thankful for the professionalism and dedication of my local dermatology specialists who have provided excellent care and sound advice on things to look out for on a regular basis.”

DETECTING SKIN CANCER

hEaLTh chEck

BETWEEN 2003 and 2009, six workers were killed while using cherry pickers.

They died either from crush injuries or asphyxiation, often falling onto controls and being pinned against an overhead obstruction. Sev-eral more suffered serious head injuries after striking part of the struc-ture being worked on.

Since then, a number of devices which can be retrofitted to cherry pickers have been developed offering greater protection to operators.

Engineers at Effingham Junction are using one such device to in-crease safety while replacing the depot’s roof.

Called ‘SanctuaryZone’ it is a steel structure that prevents the ma-chine operator from being crushed. It fits on to, and projects above,

the cherry picker’s platform to give extra protection.Martyn Grout, Assistant Site Manager for Osborne, said: “The Sanc-

tuaryZone has an arm which comes out like a fan and stops the cher-ry picker’s basket from coming into contact with the wall or structure and therefore prevents crushing.

“Operators like it because not only is it safe, it does not get in the way. It lets them get on with their work.”

In addition, the angled steelwork helps keep safety netting away from the operator, preventing snagging.

SanctuaryZone was developed by WorkZone which worked closely with the Health and Safety Executive in its development, subjecting it to rigorous and exhaustive trialling in the process.

dECoNTAmINATIoNThe Effingham Junction job involves replacing the depot’s asbestos roof: “It was built in 1926 and the trusses in the metalwork have only been cleaned or painted once or twice during that time,” said martyn.

over the years, dust had col-lected on the flat surfaces of the roof structure. The dust was test-ed and found to be contaminated with asbestos fibres

“our job was to completely de-contaminate the area before an-yone else could go up there,” said martyn.

The task was carried out over 20 nights with background mon-itoring/testing to ensure the area worked on was safe to re-occupy the next day.”=

sAfe zone: THe sTeel sTRucTuRe PRoTecTs THe oPeRAToR

6 The ShIeLD ISSue 03, AuGuST 2015

WIN – Dinner for your team– page 8

Contractor and Network Rail driv-ers are still being hit with penal-ties for breaking the speed limit for the class of vehicle they are driving.

Vehicles with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) greater than 2,000kg are subject to a lower maximum speed limit when on sin-gle and dual carriageways. That covers ALL current vehicles used on the South East Route, with the exception of cars and the Vaux-hall Combo van.

For vehicles over 2,000kg (and up to 7,500kg) the maximum speed limits are:

Built up areas: 30 Single carriageways: 50dual carriageways: 60motorways: 70

(60, if towing)

Remember – even when the na-tional speed limit sign is displayed, the above limits still apply.

If it’s not safe, we shouldn’t work. Here’s a regular look at jobs which have been suspended fol-lowing safety concerns:

TRAIN ALERTVolkerFitzpatrick colleagues and sub-contractors stopped working following a safety breach at Felix-stowe.

The workers were undertaking design and ground investigation works, within a rail renewals pos-session, when, without warning, an engineering train approached.

The train was stopped in good time and the Volkers work group moved to a position of safety but, because the agreed safe system of work had failed, it was agreed to suspend the operation with the full support of the off-site senior management team.

SAfETY NoT ASSuREdYogesh Bhatt, Shift Supervisor, One Team Wessex, won praise af-ter cancelling work he deemed un-safe. Yogesh’s team planned to undertake survey works ahead of strengthening works for New Barn Bridge near Gomshall on the Guild-ford to Gatwick line.

Upon arrival, Yogesh was not satisfied that sufficient prepara-tions had been made and felt the team would be put at risk if the work went ahead.

After consulting with Steve Paul, Possessions Manager, Yogesh can-celled the work and stood the team of eight down.

NoT fIT foR puRpoSEScott Bicknell, Project Manager for McNicholas, stopped a shift from starting at Sunningdale, when it was identified that the safety critical paperwork wasn’t fit for purpose.

THE HAT you wear has to comply with stringent British and Europe-an standards and undergoes a se-ries of tests before being passed fit for purpose.

These include dropping heavy weights on to the hat from different heights and, depending on the mod-

el, different angles. To pass, there must be no more than five kilonewtons of pressure at the neck during impact.

A similar test with a heavy spike en-sures the hat will protect the wearer from sharp objects. Helmets made here don’t just meet the standard, they exceed it by some distance and this testing programme continues during the product’s lifetime.

There are three main European standards covering industrial safety hats:

EN 812 Industrial Bump Caps – to protect wearers against striking their head on stationary objects

EN 397 Industrial Safety Helmets –covers helmets for general use in in-

dustry. These must comply with a se-ries of physical, performance, mark-ing and testing requirements

EN 14052 High performance Indus-trial Helmets – relates to helmets in-tended to provide the wearer protec-tion against falling objects and side impacts, and against the consequen-tial brain and neck injury.

What you wear – and how you wear it – can be the difference between a job well done and a serious injury. In each issue, we’ll focus on one piece of ppE and reveal

some of the science behind the safety.

KIT IN CLOSE-UP

IN EACH issue of The Shield we hand-over a pair of Bollé safety glasses to colleagues who have made an out-standing contribution to safety where they work.

Paul Elsdon of Costain (pictured, far left), was commended for presenting his site in an extremely tidy condition. Paul was also praised for his work liais-ing with the local schools about being safe around the site at Kent House Road in Beckenham, South London.

Wayne Badman, a Senior Construc-tion Manager for Network Rail, pre-sented Osborne’s Paul Morris with safe-ty glasses after Paul stopped him walk-ing on to a site in Andover without his hard hat.

Wayne said: “It was a little embar-rassing for me, but better than not go-ing home safe.”

GLASS ACTSHas your colleague made an outstanding contribution to safety? If so get in touch… shield@networkrail.co.uk

ThIS IS uNSafE

NEEd TO kNOw – yOur LImIT

TaLkING hEadS

Hard-hittingWhen a watermelon came into contact with a scaffolding joint, there was only going to be one

winner….and it wasn’t the watermelon, which was quickly

reduced to pulp.Moments earlier, the same

watermelon had remained intact when covered by a hard hat – a stark demonstration by one of

the UK’s leading PPE suppliers of why hard hats are so important.

The team would be put at risk if the work went ahead

ISSue 03, AuGuST 2015 The ShIeLD 7

ON SITE

What do you think? Get in touch – shield@networkrail.co.uk

SPAN-DO ATTITUDEMud, height and heavy lifting make construction of new viaduct a challenging project

ON SITE

Tom puXLEY, SECTIoN ENgINEER “One of the big-gest issues we’ve

had was manag-ing the water. It was

a much bigger chal-lenge than we had antici-

pated and definitely not very enjoyable in the bad weather back in February. It’s also part of my role to look after health and safe-ty on site. I write risk assessments and make sure that are implemented and adhered to. We do a lot of ALO (adjacent line open) work-ing, so we have to be very careful that the cranes and excavators don’t get too close.”

most important piece of safety kit: “Safe-ty glasses. I used to find them a pain but now I realise the importance of keeping your eyes protected.”

If I could change one thing: “I’d try and find a safe glove which is more practical for detailed work.”

CLINT JAmES, STEEL fIXINg foREmAN“As the title sug-gests, I make sure

all the steel goes in the right place. I

check everything as it comes in make sure it cor-

responds with the plans and if there are any issues I work with the engineers to find a solution. Before I go on to a section, it’s important the guy who sets out the con-crete blinding tells me it’s clear to work on and there are no hazards. That can be as simple as making sure there are no holes I don’t know about.”

most important piece of safety kit: “My boots. Thirty years ago we worked in train-ers and we were often treading on nails.”

Best safety improvement in recent years: “As well as the PPE, sites are much tidier – those nails we used to tread on are cleared away now!”

CHRIS RuTHERfoRd, SITE opERATIVE

“I’ve got an NVQ in formwork, which

includes things like carpentry and concret-

ing. I’m one of the team who have been here from the beginning of the project. Weath-er and the water have been big challenges – the job’s never easy when you are up to your knees in mud. Almost everything can be a danger on a busy site like this so you have to keep vigilant. We’ve done quite a bit of working at height – not just on the bridge itself but at ground level working next to some deep holes.”

most important piece of safety kit: “Gloves. I do a lot of hands-on work.”

Best safety improvement in recent years: “There’s a lot more job-specific PPE.”

mICK WAITE, JoINER“I’ve been help-ing put togeth-er the pre-cast

units to make the new platform. It

will weigh about 1,500 tons when it’s fin-

ished so we have to make sure the struc-ture is sound and perfectly aligned. We are lifting some big lumps of concrete, the light-est is two tons, so we have to make sure all the chains and straps are secure and that no one is standing underneath. It’s a busy site and space is tight so everyone has to keep communicating.”

most important piece of safety kit: “All five bits of PPE: hat, boots, glasses, hi-vis, and gloves.”

If I could change one thing: “I would im-prove the gloves. The current Cut 5s are not easy to use for carpentry.”

TIm KELLEHER, ASSISTANT ENgINEER

“Much of my work involves sur-

veying on site but I also do quality mon-

itoring, for example on the piling using the BIM 360Field App, and I write task briefings.“Because we are working between the old and new bridges, getting the surveying control points to read off is difficult. It takes work to ensure the readings are accurate. We work at height so we need to make sure we have working platforms in place, with edge protection.”

most important piece of safety kit: “Glass-es. As a surveyor it’s important to protect my eyes.”

If I could change one thing: “There could sometimes be a more joined up approach to senior visitors on site, making sure each one knows what’s already been covered in the previous visit.”

pRoJECT BRIEfDURING a 76-hour blockade over the August bank holiday, engineers will demolish an old iron viaduct near Pulborough in West Sussex and hoist a new concrete structure into its place. That’s a challenging job, made possible thanks to months of complex prepara-tion work.

Sven Heuten, Site Agent for BAM Nuttall, said: “The first

job was to build a new road to get to the site and then create a temporary structure to work on. The viaduct cross-es a flood plain which has created many challenges. We diverted a watercourse into a culvert before work could begin and then we used a sys-tem of pumps to manage the flow of water.”

A team of between 20 and 25 operatives then installed

new piers and abutments un-derneath the existing viaduct so that the new deck can be driven into place using a Self-Propelled Modular Transport (SPMT) unit.

“Working at height and plant movement are the two main safety considerations,” said Sven. “Preparation, and hav-ing a good team around you, is key to everyone’s safety on site.”

8 The ShIeLD ISSue 03, AuGuST 2015

What do you think? Get in touch – shield@networkrail.co.uk

NOT SAFE AS HOUSES

IT’S A curious thing that while we take safe-ty extremely seriously at work, our high standards can slip when we get home.

Take Heather Dyson, who is the first to ad-mit that taking her eye off the ball at home led to a fall resulting in torn ankle ligaments.

Heather, Network Rail Team Organiser Infra-structure Projects Southern, who lives in an old cottage, was walking upstairs with her hands full when she missed a step and fell backwards.

She takes up the story: “I landed at the bot-tom of the stairs with my left foot caught

underneath me. I tore the ligaments. We’ve lived in the cottage for 15 years, everything was com-pletely familiar but it was a typical lapse in concentration.

“At first, I thought I’d sprained it or just twist-ed it awkwardly. My husband helped me up-stairs but the next morning I was in a lot of pain. I saw my doctor and spent a couple of days resting at home.”

Anxious not to let her colleagues down, Heath-er wanted to resume duties as soon as possi-ble so arranged with her line manager, Paul

Devoy, to work from home.“Driving or getting to work was an impossi-

bility,” she said. “But I could sit resting my foot and still use my laptop so I was able to link to the server and my email and work that way.”

Heather worked from home for four weeks and stayed in regular contact with her col-leagues.

“The support I received was fantastic,” she said. “My manager was in contact with me all the time. Not once did I feel isolated.”

After being assessed by BUPA, Heather re-

turned to work, initially on a four day week be-fore returning to full-time duties.

Though still not fully fit, Heather is on the mend. Now she is a passionate advocate of eve-ryone extending their attitude towards health and safety from the workplace to the home.

“I think we are definitely more safety con-scious at work and, of course, that is a good thing but we need to be the same at home,” she said.“I won’t walk upstairs with my hands full again – and I will make sure I always hold the banister.”

It’s not just on track where we need to be safety conscious

RAIL LIVES

on THe mend: HeATHeR dyson

do You and your colleagues fancy a night out courtesy of The Shield? We’ve got 10 lots of £50 vouchers for Tex Mex chain Chiquito which one lucky winner will be able to use on dinner for themselves and nine colleagues at a nearby Chiquito restaurant.

www.chiquito.co.uk

How to enterTo enter, send your answers to the questions below to shield@networkrail.co.uk, including your name, job title and company and a daytime contact number. You can also post your entry to: Marsha Gray, Infrastructure Projects

Southern, Waterloo General Offices, Waterloo Station, London, SE1 8SW. The winner will be drawn from correct entries. Closing date is 20 September 2015.

Q1: What is the name of the cherry picker safety cage recently used at Effingham Junction?

Q2: What is the Network Rail speed limit for vehicles greater than 2,000kg on single carriage-ways in a non-built up area?

Q3: What do the initials SpmT stand for? (Hint – see p7)

going for a spinCongratulations to Bernard Kilcoyne (Osborne) and Grant Warren (Caztec Group), who won the supercar spin prize in the last issue of The Shield.

T&CsWinner will be asked to supply names and email addresses of 10 team members before the prize is redeemed. Further Chiquito T&Cs may apply.

ThE SuPPOrT I rEcEIvEd waS faNTaSTIc

WIN A TEx MEx DINNER FOR YOUR TEAM