.HERITAGE RAILWAY ASSOCIATION. SIDELINES 121 15th August 2012 www.heritagerailways.com DISTRIBUTION 10, Hurdeswell, ……………………………………. Long Hanborough, ……………………………………. Oxfordshire. ……………………………………. OX29 8DH ……………………………………. ……………………………………. Tel 0800 756 5111 ext 702 ……………………………………. Tel/Fax 01993 883384 ……………………………………. [email protected] ……………………………………. PLEASE PASS ON ALL RELEVANT INFORMATION TO OFFICERS IN YOUR ORGANISATION Notes included in 'Sidelines' are guidelines. For specific circumstances, individual expert advice should be sought. JOURNALISTS OF THE NATIONAL PRESS ARE REQUESTED TO OBTAIN CLEARANCE BEFORE PUBLICATION SO THAT ANY FURTHER DETAILS TO AID A MORE GENERAL READERSHIP CAN BE INCLUDED. DETAILS OF HRA DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS ARE LISTED IN THE MEMBERS’ HANDBOOK ON THE MEMBERS’ SECTION OF THE HRA WEBSITE. SIDELINES AND BROADLINES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOADING www.heritagerailways.com All Correspondence and initial enquiries to: Andrew Goyns, 28 George Street, Altofts, Normanton, West Yorkshire WF6 2LT Tel: 0800 756 5111 x 900 Fax: 0844 736 5887 Email: [email protected] ACCIDENT REPORTS AND MARKETING UPDATE 22 are at the end of this edition of Sidelines to help those members who photocopy and pass on these items to the appropriate staff concerned with safety and commercial matters. HRA SEPTEMBER MEETING. Please see item in General Section on Page 4. HRA BOARD CHANGES again please see item in General Section on Page 4 1/ HOW IS BUSINESS FOR YOU? Anecdotal evidence suggests that Railways are experiencing wide ranging variations in business so far this summer. There are widely differing reports about passenger and visitor numbers and retail and catering results. If you have any special successes or new initiatives that are working for you, please tell me now, especially if you are prepared for me to share them via a Sidelines special for the benefit of other members. Contact Mark Smith Vice chairman 25, Peile Drive, Taunton, Somerset. TA2 7SZ Email. [email protected] (Please note that suggestions, ideas, experiences and knowledge that will be of benefit to HRA members are welcomed in the regular edition of Sidelines – and these should be sent to John Crane as detailed in the heading). HERITAGE RAILWAY ASSOCIATION SIDELINES 121 1 of 14 OPERATING AND SAFETY. 2/ SAFETY NOTICES. Safety notes 8 Portable Appliance Testing. The HSE has issued revised Guidance on this activity and for once the requirements are less onerous than previously. A risk based approach with a greater emphasis on user visual inspection is taken. Items which are rarely moved and in a dry environment such as office equipment may only require 5 yearly testing provided there is a visual inspection regime. Workshop kit that may be pulled, used in the wet, abused or considered high risk should be examined more frequently with particular emphasis on the condition of leads and terminations. PAT in some circumstances may be useful every six months with users encouraged to check (and reject) daily. All electrical appliances should be on a register with the history of inspections and repairs. Items not on the register (typically kettles, chargers & radios) should not be used. Ref. HSE website, Guidance, search PAT. Free to download INDG 236 Diesel fumes in poorly ventilated areas. There is particular concern (over and above that for all diesel engine emissions) that older poorly serviced engines which emit loads of smoke are a health hazard due to the carcinogens present. There are no statutory limits on diesel fumes generally (though some of the chemicals contained in the fumes do have their separate exposure limits under the COSHH regulations) but there is a requirement for duty holders to assess the risk and control it. ORR Inspectors are aware that Heritage railways possess and use diesel engines in the higher risk category and will expect railways to adopt good engine maintenance and management procedures and also to ensure that where engines operate indoors due to maintenance or testing, that adequate ventilation is provided. For diesel generators used in tunnel work they should either be placed upwind of workers or outside the tunnel if possible. HSE are revising their guidance and ORR expect to issue further advice later in the year. Ref. HSE website, search HSG 187. 3/ BOY LOSES SIGHT IN EXPLOSION IN LEIGH-ON-SEA, ESSEX. A reminder of the danger of detonators and the care needed in handling and storing them is contained in the sad headline above from the BCC on 12 August. A 15-year-old boy has lost the sight in his right eye after a railway detonator was thrown on to a fire and exploded. More details can be obtained from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-19233257 Whilst appreciating that the few members that work over Network Rail infrastructure have a valid need for detonators on some of their trains, all members are asked to review their policy concerning the use and storage of detonators and their associated Risk Assessments. We recommend working from the assumption that there is no requirement for detonators on Heritage Railway infrastructure. Bill Hillier. Chairman HRA Operating & Safety Committee. HRA Phone: 0800 756 5111 Extn 431 Email: [email protected] HERITAGE RAILWAY ASSOCIATION SIDELINES 121 2 of 14 4/ IOSH RAILWAY INDUSTRY CONFERENCE. The eighth Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Railway Industry Conference is taking place on 20 November in Glaziers Hall, London. Organised by the lOSH Rail Group, this year's conference is all about managing interfaces within the sector, looking at interaction between maintainers and operators, internal relations and leadership, assurance, different industry perspectives and bringing you the latest legal developments. The Conference continues to be a must-attend for senior heath and safety professionals and operations managers from across the railway industry. It offers expert advice and guidance from key industry figures, case study examples to learn from, specialist breakout sessions and valuable networking opportunities. The overwhelming focus is on Network Rail and the ATOCS. At least one member of the Operating and Safety Committee attends and reports back on items of specific interest to the Heritage sector. Subjects covered are: • risk-based regulation • contractor management • safety and quality assurance • interaction between maintainers and operators • internal relations and leadership • the latest legal developments • liability claims • safety culture • managing risk • safety performance. The Conference costs £165 plus VAT for IOSH members and £220 plus VAT for non-members to attend. To register your interest contact the IOSH Events Team at [email protected] David Martin, Tech IOSH, HRA Operating & Safety Committee 5/ INSTITUTION OF RAILWAY OPERATORS. Please see item in General Section regarding membership of this organisation. Item 17 6/ NEW FUNDING OPPORTUNITY (for community groups wishing to purchase buildings or assets to the local community). Members interested in the new ideas of "social investment" and "community rights" may wish to investigate the following links: http://mycommunityrights.org.uk/ http://www.thesocialinvestmentbusiness.org/communityrights/ 7/ FIRST STEPS TO INTRODUCE A NEW TYPE OF TOURIST SIGNING IN ENGLAND. Plans have been set out for new county boundary signs that will showcase the region’s best features. Six counties - Cornwall, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon, Norfolk and North Yorkshire - are to spearhead the move in a £2million pilot scheme run by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for Transport (DfT). The pilots will replace the current signs on key routes at county boundaries with ones that are colourful and striking, and could include full colour photographs of the region. The new signs will be installed in pilot areas by next Spring. A review of the existing guidelines is currently being undertaken 8/ MEMBERS’ EVENTS DIARY. Usual reminder of this section on the members’ website aimed at helping organisations avoid clashes or to allow possible co operation with events in the same area, it is not for public announcements on the website. Please send updates to: Email [email protected] or post to 10 Hurdeswell, Long Hanborough, Witney. OX29 8DH Please submit information in the form. NAME OF RAILWAY YEAR TO WHICH IT APPLIES i.e. 2012 or 2013 Date of event (in date order if possible please) Type of event HERITAGE RAILWAY ASSOCIATION SIDELINES 121 3 of 14 GENERAL NOTES. 9/ HERITAGE RAILWAY ASSOCIATION – BOARD CHANGES. Ian Smith is retiring from the Board and his other HRA roles with immediate effect. Ian has during the last twelve months been appointed to the new post of Managing Director of WATTRAIN (The World Association of Tourist, Trams & Trains) which is holding its first congress and Annual General Meeting at the National Railway Museum in York during the first week of October. His retirement will enable him to focus more fully on the work of that association which is taking an increasing amount of his time. Andrew Goyns, who stood down as Finance Director in November last year, has now been advised by his doctors to cut out long travel and greatly reduce meeting attendance and he has thus decided to stand down from the Board with effect from 31 August 2012. He will continue to be an active member of the HRA team, carrying out much of the backroom work helping with the administration of the Association. I would like to express on behalf of all the Directors of the Association our thanks to both Ian and Andrew for their hard work on HRA’s behalf as Board members over the past years and their tremendous commitment to the tasks they undertook. In their ongoing roles, both will be continuing to make valuable contributions to the work of the railway heritage movement. The Board of HRA, as part of a review earlier this year of their structure and activities, have also decided to instigate a phased reduction in the size of the Board and these changes will help provide a first step towards achieving this objective.