Why Rail Safety Week matters more than ever

Now in its eleventh year, Rail Safety Week, is a reminder that safety is a responsibility shared by everyone who works on or uses the railways. This year’s focus is on learning from past incidents and supporting the wellbeing of rail workers during a transformational period in the history of our railways.

These themes reflect a broader shift across the rail sector as more importance is placed on culture and behaviour, not just compliance. Creating an environment where rail workers feel empowered to speak up is vital to ensuring the safety of our railways and making sure that everyone gets home safely.

The real risks facing rail workers today

Despite the significant progress made across the industry in improving safety, rail environments continue to demand a high level of awareness and care. The nature of the work brings a range of risks, from working around moving trains and live electrification systems to managing fatigue linked to shift patterns, alongside everyday environmental factors such as slips and trips.

These are long-established challenges, but the industry’s ongoing focus on safety means they are well understood and actively managed. Continuous improvements in processes, training and culture have strengthened how these risks are mitigated, helping to protect people across all areas of the network.

The consistent reinforcement of safe behaviours, combined with well-designed safety initiatives, plays a central role in maintaining this progress. Rail Safety Week is a valuable opportunity to highlight how shared responsibility, strong leadership and collective commitment continue to drive safer outcomes for everyone working in the sector.

Back to basics: the behaviours that keep workers safe

Strong safety performance starts with getting the basics right every time and reinforcing fundamental behaviours across all projects. The following checklist is a great way for workers to ensure their safety before, during and after their shift:

Before the shift starts

• Review the safe work pack and review or attend all briefings
• Understand access routes, site conditions, and hazards
• Check competence and authorisation to work on or near the track
• Ensure safe access is properly planned

During the shift

• Stay alert to surroundings, particularly moving trains
• Follow all instructions from the COSS or site supervisor
• Never take shortcuts or deviate from agreed systems of work
• Follow strict rules governing when and how you can walk on or near the line

After the task

• Always report close calls and hazards
• Reflect on improvements for future work

At MSS Infrastructure (MSSI), we actively encourage open reporting through our SAM app, which is designed to quickly and efficiently identify risks and prevent incidents from occurring.

PPE and visibility: a critical line of defence

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) also plays a vital role in protecting workers and, when used correctly and consistently, is essential for protecting against hazards that cannot be eliminated.

Across our sites and our workforce, PPE includes:

• High-visibility (hi-vis) clothing (mandatory on rail projects)
• Helmets, safety boots and eye protection
• Respiratory protection where required

Poorly fitting PPE and inconsistent use remain key contributing factors in incidents involving rail workers, many of which are preventable. To reduce the number of avoidable accidents, rail workers must always check that PPE is fit for purpose before starting work, report damaged or ill-fitting equipment immediately and always stay visible around live rail environments.

Fatigue and wellbeing: the risk we can’t ignore

While many safety risks in the rail sector are highly visible, others are less immediately apparent but just as important. Fatigue is one of the most significant challenges. Long hours, night shifts, and frequent travel can all have a serious impact on both physical and mental performance, ultimately affecting how safely work can be carried out.

Alongside growing awareness of fatigue as a critical safety issue, there is increasing recognition of the importance of psychological safety. Creating an environment where individuals feel confident to raise concerns without fear is now a clear industry priority. Organisations such as Network Rail and others have highlighted how closely workforce wellbeing is linked to overall operational safety.

This shift reflects a more holistic approach to safety, one that goes beyond procedures and focuses on people.

At MSSI, we actively support this more positive and proactive safety culture. We encourage our workforce to speak up if they feel too tired to work safely, to take appropriate breaks and follow agreed shift patterns, and to look out for and support colleagues on site. By reinforcing these behaviours, we help ensure that safety is not only managed but genuinely embedded in day-to-day working practices.

Creating a safety-first culture

While consistently following robust procedures is paramount, safety doesn’t end with compliance. Safety in rail is driven by the culture that surrounds it, and creating an environment which moves beyond compliance and embeds behaviours that empower people at every level is vital.

The rail workforce must be encouraged to challenge unsafe practices, halt work if conditions are unsafe, and share insights around lessons learned. The safest sites are those where everyone feels responsible, supported and heard.

Turning awareness into action

Safety does not start at the trackside; it starts with every decision made before workers arrive on site. Rail Safety Week is an important reminder that lasting change comes from action and at MSSI, we are committed to delivering high-quality training and safety engagement by promoting proactive risk identification through our SAM app and embedding a culture where safety is everyone’s responsibility.

Rail Safety affects us all, whether we work or simply travel on the railways, and ultimately it comes back to one goal: ensuring every worker and every customer goes home safe, every day.