More than 3,900 people across the UK have now been trained on Victa Railfreight’s Rail Safety Awareness (RSA) course.
The candidates all have a job role which includes the possibility of them working in the vicinity of railway lines in freight yards or maintenance facilities. They come from a variety of businesses and sectors including ports, quarries, power stations and waste recycling facilities and are predominantly employed as site operations managers, loading and discharging operatives, port police, security guards, site contractors, auditors, engineers/maintenance teams, as well as in operational and safety roles.
Neil Sime, Managing Director of Victa Railfreight, said: “We’re very proud of developing this course and adding real practical safety value to the thousands of candidates who have attended. As experts in the field of safety training in rail freight yards, we were closely involved with the ‘Guidance on Operational Railway Safety Awareness’, recently issued by RSSB.
“Our bespoke course delivers on the demand for a suitable training standard for staff from a variety of sectors whose duties may involve railway activity in a yard, siding, maintenance facility and at terminals, rather than on the mainline. The course is also ideal for personnel employed in train maintenance or cleaning facilities, and for those employed by the emergency services.”
All Victa Railfreight’s courses are tailored to each customer’s operational and locational requirements, such as at quarries, waste recycling plants, intermodal, bulk and biomass sites and ports, or for those employed in maintenance roles and for the emergency services.
Mark Grimshaw-Smith, Head of Rail and Sea at Cemex UK, said: “It has been very rewarding to see this excellent course evolve and become so widely embedded in the private sidings sector helping to establish not only the basic principles of rail safety but also help promote a proactive, collaborative rail safety culture. We were involved in tailoring the course for the construction sector along with industry colleagues in the Rail Freight Group. It is now part of our ongoing safety training for new starters and with refreshers every two years for operatives and staff working at our railheads.”
To date, Victa Railfreight has trained over 1,600 candidates from the mineral products/construction industry, and more than 2,300 candidates who work for numerous companies including ports, power stations, waste recycling facilities, loco & wagon maintenance and quarries.
Colette Ranford, Training and Development Manager at Victa Railfreight, said: “Our site-specific Rail Safety Awareness training is invaluable for people whose roles bring them into close proximity of activity within rail connected yards and sidings where their duties do not require them to go on the mainline. Although there is some need for candidates to understand appropriate elements from the traditional Personal Track Safety (PTS) training, we have also included added value training modules to enhance knowledge and understanding of additional risks and hazards associated with the candidate’s specific working railway environment.
“Our courses have been so widely appreciated that candidates are now returning back to us for their refresher training.
“This course is not only essential for people working in rail freight but equally applicable for the passenger sector too, for example those working in maintenance and train cleaning facilities.”
The one-day course includes bespoke modules to identify local hazards and has been designed for a variety of organisations whose staff may interface with rail operations such as:
· Rail freight interchanges and terminals
· Rail-connected ports
· Contractors who may be working in the vicinity of railway infrastructure
· Emergency Services
· Train maintenance and train cleaning depots
· Private/Preserved railways
· Emergency services
· Personnel requiring an insight into railway safety
· Personnel responsible for the safety of rail operations on site
The course covers: railway terminology and definitions, the railway environment, employee responsibilities, safe walking, safe working, emergency situations and effective communication. It does not qualify candidates to walk or work on Network Rail controlled infrastructure.
To find out more and to book a course please contact Pam Smith, Rail Enhancement Training Administrator on 07912299624 or via Pam.smith@victa-railfreight.com
Photo credit: Victa Railfreight
