Assaults on staff

In 2007 there were 168 incidents of Work Related Violence (WRV) reported to ORR’s HM Railway Inspectorate (HMRI) under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995. The table below gives details of WRV over the past five years.

Assaults on railway employees by members of the public 2003-07 - All railways

ORR defines WRV as 'any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work'. This is very similar to the current definition in Railway Group Standard GE/GN 8547, which Railway Group Members are required to follow when reporting incidents of WRV to the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB). However, due to industry concerns over inconsistency of reporting, a new, clearer definition and associated guidance - Reporting and recording assaults on rail staff - were agreed by the RSSB, convened Rail Personal Security Group (RPSG) and published in May 2004. Although not yet mandatory, it is hoped that this definition will be adopted by the industry and eventually incorporated into GE/GN 8547.

There is increasing evidence to suggest that WRV contributes to stress.

HMRI's future strategy on work-related violence

Inspectors continue to press for a high and consistent level of compliance when assessing the management arrangements of individual Train Operating Companies (TOCs) in respect to WRV. Inspections of TOC and station operator arrangements for managing the risk of WRV showed that although the risk is widely acknowledged, the effectiveness of measures taken to prevent or control the risk varied considerably.

Industry initiatives

The Rail Personal Security Group was set up in August 2003 to raise the profile of personal security issues and to encourage sharing of best practice within the industry. Membership of the RPSG includes a number of key stakeholders. As well as agreeing on a new industry definition for WRV the group is also developing material on personal security issues for inclusion on the National Route Crime Group web site Partners against Railway Crime.

Prevention, control and investigation of violence towards members of the public using the railways is not the responsibility of HMRI. These incidents are dealt with by the British Transport Police (BTP). BTP are also involved in the investigation and prevention of staff assaults.

A number of complementary policing schemes are now in operation. These include the "Railway Safety Accreditation Scheme", which was introduced early in 2004 and a scheme to enable employment of Police Community Support Officers by BTP. RSSB are currently engaged in a programme of research to validate the effectiveness of these [and others].

The Department for Transport (DfT) 'Secure Stations' scheme gives advice on measures that can be taken to reduce WRV and awards 'secure stations status' to stations reaching specified standards.