May2026
Looking After Each Other: The Link Between Wellbeing and Safety
Thereisaphraseoftenusedacrosshighriskindustries:
“Peopledonotleavetheirproblemsatthegate.”
Itisasimplestatement,butanimportantone Everypersonwhoarrivesonsitebringsmorethan justtheirtools,competencies,andexperience.Theyalsobringpressure,fatigue,distractions, responsibilities,andsometimesstrugglesthatarenotalwaysvisibletoothers.Foralongtime, industrieslikerailandconstructionfocusedalmostentirelyonphysicalsafety PPE,procedures, permits,andcompliancerightlybecamethefoundationofhowwemanagerisk Butoverrecent years,therehasbeenagrowingunderstandingthatwellbeingandmentalhealtharejustas importantwhenitcomestokeepingpeoplesafe
Whenpeoplearetired,stressed,distracted,oroverwhelmed,decisionmakingchanges. Communicationcanbecomerushed Concentrationcanreduce Smalldetailscanbemissed Inhigh riskenvironments,thesesmallchangescanquicklybecomesafetycritical Atthesametime,the oppositeisalsotrue
Whenpeoplefeelsupported,listenedto,andcomfortablespeakingup,saferdecisionsaremade. Teamscommunicatebetter Individualsaremorewillingtochallengeunsafesituations Concernsare raisedearlier Peoplelookoutforoneanother ThatiswhyMentalHealthAwarenessMonthmatters Thisisnotseparatefromsafety Itispartofsafety Acrosstherailandconstructionindustry,there hasbeenincreasingrecognitionthatcreatingsaferworkplacesmeanssupportingbothphysicaland mentalwellbeing.OrganisationssuchasTheLighthouseConstructionIndustryCharityandmany industrypartnerscontinuetohighlighttheconnectionbetweenwellbeing,fatigue,stress,and operationalperformance
Inourownbusiness,weseeexamplesofpositivesupporteveryday Acolleaguecheckinginwith someonewhoseemsquieterthannormal.Asupervisortakingthetimetoproperlylistenratherthan rushaconversation.Ateammemberspeakingupwhentheydonotfeelfittoworksafely.These momentsmattermorethanpeopleoftenrealise Lookingaftereachotherisnotweakness Speaking upisnotfailure Askingquestions,challengingconcerns,oradmittingwhensomethingdoesnotfeel rightareallsignsofprofessionalismandresponsibility Safetycultureisnotbuiltonlythrough proceduresandaudits Itisbuiltthroughtrust,communication,andpeoplefeelingsupportedenough tomaketherightdecisions.
AswemovethroughMentalHealthAwarenessMonth,letuscontinuecreatinganenvironment wherepeoplefeelabletospeakopenly,supporteachother,andaskforhelpwhenneeded Sometimesthemostimportantsafetyconversationissimplycheckinghowsomeoneisdoing Becausewhenpeoplearesupported,safetyworksbetterforeveryone.
SupportAvailable
Ifyouarestruggling,feelingoverwhelmed,orsimplyneedsomeonetotalkto,supportisavailable Pleasespeakwithyourmanager,amemberoftheHSQEteam,oroneofourMentalHealthFirst Aiders.ConfidentialsupportisalsoavailablethroughtheEmployeeAssistanceProgrammeandour wellbeingpartners.
Youareneveraloneinaskingforhelp erience,andtohelpuslearnbeforesomethinggoeswrong
Adam Jones HeadofSafety,Rail
Work safe, home safe
WhatdowemeanbyWorkSafe,HomeSafe?
Wemeanthatwearefitandpreparedforwork Weworksafelywithour colleaguesandfollowtherules Wegohomeinasafecondition,freefromharm
Howdowegoaboutit?
Wefollow5BrilliantBasics
Befitandreadyforwork,physicallyandmentally
Alwaysfollowtherules–noshortcuts
Ifunsure,TakeFive,stopworkandask
Ifanythingisunsafe,TakeFive,stopworkandreport
TreateachdaylikeDay1,donotbecomplacent
Whatarewedoingbehindthescenestomakeussuccessfulatwhatwedo?
Weputpeopleatthecentreofwhatwedo
Weanalysemistakesveryrigorously
Wetrytocreateanopenatmospherewhereeveryonecanspeakup
Wearewillingtofixwhatiswrongifitisunderourcontrol
Werelentlesslypursuenewworkandnewopportunities
Wenevergiveintocomplacency
HSQE Team
GarethMorris
HSQEDirector,Morson International-Manchester
Gareth.Morris@morson.com 07736657039
AdamJones
HeadofSafety
Adam.Jones@vital.uk.com 07717306852
KeithWright
HSEAdviserandSafetyUnit
KeithWright@vitalukcom 07717306775
LeonRichards
HealthandSafetyChampion
LeonRichards@vitalukcom
My Idea
Howwouldyouimprovesafety?
Whatareyourideasforinnovation?
Whatwouldyouchange?
JaneHepburn
Health&SafetyAccident &InvestigationLead
Jane.Hepburn@vital.uk.com 07717306797
Tobeinwiththechancetowith£100worth ofgiftvouchers,emailusyourideasat:
What
is a close call?
ACloseCallisanythingthathasthepotentialtocauseharmtoaperson,theenvironment,orrailway equipmentorinfrastructure.CloseCallsshouldbefixedthenandthere,whereitissafetodoso.
Aclosecallisapositiveactandistreatedconfidentiallyinablamefreeenvironment.Weneedyourhelpto makeourincident/Accidentandclosecallreportingsystemworksaseffectivelyaspossible
CloseCallscouldinclude:
Unsafeworkingenvironmentsidentifiedbeforeworkstarting
Unsafebehaviours
Unsafestorageofchemicals
Environmentandsustainabilityconcerns,suchasovergrownvegetation(notrestrictingview)
Liquidspillsclearedupsafelyandimmediatelythathasnotimpactedthegroundorwatercourse
UnsuitableSSOWormethodologyidentifiedbeforetheworkhasbeenstarted
OutofdateequipmentorPPEidentifiedbeforestartingwork
Whatcouldbeanaccident/incident?
Anaccident/incidentisaneventwheretheinfrastructureorpropertyhasbeendamaged,orapersonhascome toharm TheseeventsshouldbereportedtoyourH&STeam
Accident/Incidentcouldinclude:
Amemberofstafformemberofpublichasbeeninjured
Theinfrastructureorequipmenthasbeendamaged
StaffaccessingtherailwaywithoutasuitableSSOW
Workstartingortakingplacewithoutthecorrectpermitinplace
Aleakofasubstancetothegroundorwatercourse,suchasoil Afire
WhatcouldbeaFault?
Afaultisidentifiedasanunsafeconditionwithintherailwayinfrastructure/propertythatcouldcauseharmor damageandneedstobeaddressed
Faultscouldinclude:
Unsafeworkingenvironments
Hypodermicneedlesleftonawalkwayorlineside
SIgnalsnotdisplayingthecorrectoranyaspect
Trackdefectsnotcausedbyworkbeingundertaken
Treesorbranchesleaningdangerouslyclosetooperationalrailway
Accesspointlockmissing
Accesspointgatebroken
Itisbettertohaveaclosecallthanalessonlearnt
Step Up for Safety Day –
Making a Real Difference
OItwasafantasticdayfortheMorsonVitalteamatAMEYʼsTranspennineRouteUpgrade(TRU)–StepUpforSafetyDay,showcasingtheverybestofwhatwedo.
Theeventprovidedagreatopportunitytoengagewithoperativesthroughmeaningful conversations,hands-onactivities,andabitoffriendlycompetition FromAdamʼsgripstrength testerchallengingassumptionsaroundstrengthandcorefitness,toOccupationalHealthchecks andCPRexercises,therewasexcellentparticipationthroughouttheday.
OneofthemostimpactfulactivitieswastheCPRchallenge,whereoperativesattemptedchest compressionsfor10minutestoexperiencethephysicaldemandsinvolvedindeliveringCPR This sparkedimportantdiscussions,withLeonsharingreal-lifeexampleswherecompressionshadto continueforover45minuteswhilewaitingforemergencyservices highlightingtheimportanceof bothtrainingandresilienceinemergencysituations.
Thestandoutmomentoftheday,however,camefromanoperativewhohadcompletedan OccupationalHealthcheckwithuslastyearandreturnedtosharehisinspiringstory
Followinghisassessment,hevisitedhisGPandwasadvisedtomakeurgentlifestylechanges.He tookthatadviceseriouslyandcommittedtoimprovinghishealth,achievingincredibleresults:
Lostover5stone
Reducedvisceralfatfrom18to8
Loweredbodyfatfromthehigh30stobelow27
SignificantlyimprovedhisBMI
Hearingfirst-handhowearlyinterventionandaccessiblehealthcheckscanhavesucha life-changingimpactreinforcesexactlywhywecontinuetoinvestinoccupationalhealth initiativesandequipment
Thisiswhatitʼsallabout engagingwithpeople,providingvaluableinsight,andsupportingpositive stepstowardbetterhealthandwellbeing Welookforwardtoseeinghimagainnexttimeand continuingtheseimportantconversationswithmanymorepeopleacrosstheindustry
Social Value
Overthepastmonth,MorsonVitalcolleaguesacrossall branchescametogethertosupportanumberof communityandenvironmentalinitiatives,demonstrating thepositiveimpactthatsmallactionscanhavewhenwe worktogether.
BigEasterEggCollection
Inthelead-uptoEaster,teamsacrossthebusinesstook partinaBigEasterEggCollectiontosupportlocal communityorganisationsandhelpbringalittleextrajoyto childrenduringtheeasterperiod.
Thankstothegenerosityofourcolleagues,Eastereggs weredonatedtoarangeoforganisationswithinlocal communities,including:
Communitycentres
HAFcamps
Localhospitals
Youthcentres
Theinitiativewasafantasticsuccess,withbranches acrossthebusinessgettinginvolvedandhelpingmakea meaningfuldifferenceforfamiliesandchildrenduring Easter
WorldEarthDay–LitterPickingInitiative
TomarkWorldEarthDay,MorsonVitalalsoorganiseda weekoflitter-pickingactivities,withvolunteersfromacross thebusinessgivingtheirtimetohelpimprovethelocal environmentaroundouroffices.
Throughouttheweek,colleaguescametogethereachday tocleansurroundingstreetsandpublicareas,supporting thewiderglobalenvironmentalmovementwhilemakinga visibledifferencewithinthelocalcommunity.
Theinitiativenotonlyhelpedcreatecleaner,greener spaces,butalsoprovidedagreatopportunityfor colleaguestospendtimeoutdoors,connectwithothers, andcontributepositivelytothecommunitiesweworkin.
Weareproudofeveryonewhotookpartinbothinitiatives andthankallcolleaguesfortheircontinuedsupportand commitmenttosocialvalueactivities.
Smallactionsreallydomakeabigdifference whetheritʼs supportinglocalfamilies,volunteeringtime,orsimply takinglitterhomeandhelpingkeepourstreetsclean
Keep Our Environment Clean: Why We Should Never Drop Litter
Theenvironmentisoneofthemostvaluablethingswehave Itgivesuscleanairtobreathe,watertodrink, foodtoeat,andbeautifulplacestoenjoy However,manypeopledamagetheenvironmentbydroppinglitter carelessly Litteringmayseemlikeasmallproblem,butithasseriouseffectsonnature,wildlife,andhuman health Everyonehasaresponsibilitytokeeptheenvironmentcleanandsafe
Onemajorproblemcausedbylitterispollution Plasticbottles,foodwrappers,cans,andotherrubbishoften endupinrivers,oceans,parks,andstreets Thesematerialscantakemanyyearstobreakdown Plastic,for example,canremainintheenvironmentforhundredsofyears Aslitterbuildsup,itmakesplaceslookdirty andunpleasantandharmsnaturalhabitats
Litterisalsodangerousforanimals Birds,fish,andotherwildlifecanmistakerubbishforfood Theymay swallowplasticorbecometrappedinwaste,whichcaninjureorkillthem Seaanimalsareespeciallyaffected becauselargeamountsofplasticendupintheoceanseveryyear Bythrowingrubbishinbinsandrecycling whenpossible,wecanhelpprotectwildlifeandkeepecosystemshealthy
Inaddition,littercanaffecthumanhealth Dirtystreetsandparksattractpestssuchasratsandinsectsthat spreaddisease Brokenglassandsharpobjectscanalsocauseinjuries Acleanenvironmenthelps communitiesstayhealthierandhappier
Takingcareoftheenvironmentisnotdifficult Simpleactionscanmakeabigdifference Peopleshould alwaysusebins,recyclematerialslikepaperandplastic,andreducewastewheneverpossible Everypersoncanhelpbydisposingofwasteproperlyandencouragingotherstodothesame Ifwealltake responsibilityforouractions,wecancreateacleaner,safer,andmorebeautifulworldforfuturegenerations.
Health & wellbeing
WeightLossInjections–OccupationalHealthandSafetyConsiderations
WeightlossinjectionsarebecomingincreasinglycommonwithintheUKaspartofstructuredweight managementprogrammes,whilethesemedicationscanprovidepositivehealthoutcomes,itisimportantto recognisethattheymayalsohavesideeffectswhichcanimpactanindividualʼsabilitytosafelyundertake theirduties,particularlywithinsafetycriticalenvironments
Someindividualsmayorhavereportedexperiencingsideeffects,especiallywhenstartingtreatmentor adjustingdosage,evenwithdosagecontrolledadjustment
Thesecaninclude:
Fatigueorreducedalertness
Dizzinessorlight-headedness
Nauseaordigestivediscomfort
Changesinconcentrationlevels
·Insomecases,stressoranxietyrelatedtoweightexpectations
Alloftheaboveaffectconcentration,decisionmaking,andoverall situationalawareness Withinsafetycriticalroles,thismayincrease theriskoferrorsifnotrecognisedandappropriatelymanaged Inoperationalenvironmentssuchastrackwork,plantoperation,or drivingduties,evenminorchangesinalertnesscanincreaserisk
Drugs&AlcoholTesting–DeclarationisEssential
Allmedications,includingweightlossinjections,mustbedeclaredduring: RandomDrugs&Alcoholtesting
“Forcause”testingfollowinganincidentorconcern
FailuretodeclareweightLossmedicationmay: Affecttestresults
Leadtomisinterpretationoffindings
Resultinunnecessaryescalationorinvestigation
Declaringmedicationprotectsbothyouandtheintegrityofthetestingprocess.
SupportingYouWhileKeepingEveryoneSafe
Werecognisethatchoosingtouseweightlossmedicationisapersonaldecision,andformanyindividualsitforms partofawidercommitmenttoimprovinghealthandwellbeing,asabusiness,weareheretosupportyouinthat journey
Ourintentionisnottobeintrusiveortoquestionpersonalchoices,however,duetothenatureoftheworkwe undertake,itisimportantthatweareawareofanythingthatmayaffectyourabilitytocarryoutyourrolesafely ByinformingyourOperationsManagerorseekingOccupationalHealthguidance,whilstundertakingyourweight lossprogramme,youarenotplacingyourselfatadisadvantage Instead,youarehelpingtoensurethat:
Youaresupportedappropriatelywhileundertakingyourduties
Anypotentialsideeffectsareunderstoodandmanaged
Suitablecontrolsoradjustmentscanbeconsideredwherenecessary
Youremainfitfordutywithinasafetycriticalenvironment
Allinformationsharedwillbetreatedwithrespectandhandledconfidentially
Takingthisapproachallowsustosupportbothyourpersonalhealthgoalsandourcollectiveresponsibilityto maintainasafeworkingenvironmentforeveryone.
Safety alerts
Company:
Date & Time of Event:
Location: ( e g structure number, site address)
Arun River underline Bridge
CKRail 08/02/2026 10:18 Pulborough
1 Description of Event: ( what happened in summary)
Contract/Project / No.:
Person Involved:
Type:
OTR-PCK031-01
Subcontractor –Resource Rail Fall
On arrival to site at 08:10, three rope access operatives working for Resource Rail were undertaking vegetation clearance beneath Pulborough River Bridge A site briefing was completed, and the team was on track by 08:45 with all required PPE and harnesses worn. Works at the country end of the bridge were completed without issue before the team moved to the London end.
The injured person had been carrying out abseiling works for approximately 10 minutes when a shout was heard by the rest of the team, who were positioned on top of the bridge. It was then discovered that he had fallen approximately 5 metres (15 ft) from the bridge.
It is believed the injured person fully unclipped himself while attempting to swap ropes, rather than maintaining two points of attachment, resulting in the fall. The COSS contacted emergency services, and the ambulance, fire brigade and police attended site. Following the police leaving site, a member of the team attended the hospital to see the injured person.
2. Photographs (including descriptions)
Immediate Actions Taken:
Work was stopped immediately following the incident. The COSS was instructed to contact emergency services (999).
Ambulance, fire brigade and police attended site.
The injured person was located and assessed by emergency services. The area was made safe and secured to prevent further risk.
Discussions were held with the Emergency Services at site.
Following police attendance and clearance, a member of the team left site to attend the hospital to support the injured person.
Immediate Cause / Initial Findings:
Immediate causes / effect review subject to Witness Statements:
Arun River underline Bridge
• The injured person fell approximately 5 metres (15 ft) from the bridge while carrying out rope access vegetation clearance works.
Initial findings indicate the fall occurred while the injured person was attempting to swap ropes.
• • • • Next Steps / Recommendations:
It is believed the injured person fully unclipped from the rope system, rather than maintaining two points of attachment or using the designated third point of attachment.
As a result, the injured person was not attached to the rope system at the time of the fall.
The remainder of the team were positioned on top of the bridge and responded immediately after hearing a shout.
•
• Statement are being requested from those on site
Review RAMS and rope access procedures, particularly rope changeovers
Reinforce continuous attachment requirements
Review competence and supervision arrangements.
Investigation commenced
Share lessons learned once the investigation concludes.
• Golden Rule Process to be followed
Any Regulatory Involved?
Has the event been reported to Route Control?
Has the event been reported to IRIS?
Name (s) of Person completing the form?
Position of person completing the form?
Date the Form completed? No YES (CCIL 3207391) No
Alex Ofori-Atta HSQE Advisor
08/02/2026
Accidents and incidents provide opportunity for learning and continuous improvement, it is therefore imperative that these are reported and actively managed to enable robust and timely investigations The following steps support this process 5
•Anyinjuriesandupdatesonpersonsinvolved?No
•Couldthesafetyoftheworkforcehavebeenimpacted?No,anexclusionzonewasin place,andnoworkforcewaswithintheexclusionzonewheretheexcavatorwasworkingat thetimeofthepartialderailment
Initialcausesidentified:
• • Railheadwasslightlycontaminated IsolatedHardSpotswithintheexcavationoftrackballast/Catching
Keyissuesfortheinvestigationtoconsider:
• • • • excavatorrerailed
Immediateactionstaken:
•
• • Allworkwasstopped Adamageassessmentwascarriedout
ReportedtotheWICC
ItwasdeterminedthatDrugandAlcoholtestingwasnot required PWayinspectedrailforanyactionabledamage (Nonefoun L&WoncallcontactedbyPOStobemadeaware
Controlsforrailcontamination-Cleaningregimes,useofsand/tractionaids,orstop-workcriteria
Operatorcompetence-Experiencewithwet-bedexcavationandcontaminatedrails Fatigue/workload-Timeofshift,pressuretocompletework Machinecompatibility/45mmcant
Couldthishappeninotherlocations?Yes
DCP:WayneNorbury
Levelofinvestigation:L1
AppointedLeadInvestigator:BrettLowery IncidentReference:SE-00038583
Charities & support services
Ifyouorsomeoneyouknowisstruggling,therearemanyorganisationsthatofferfree, confidentialsupport:
AndyʼsManClub–Amenʼsmentalhealthsupportgroupprovidingpeer-to-peer conversationsinasafespace.
LighthouseCharity–Supportingthementalhealthandwell-beingofconstructionand railworkers.CallUK:03456051956,ROI:1800939122,ortextHARDHATto85258 (UK)or50808(ROI).
Samaritans–24/7helplineofferingemotionalsupportforthoseindistress:Call116123
Mind–Mentalhealthcharityprovidingadviceandsupportforthoseexperiencing difficulties.Geturgenthelp
CALM(CampaignAgainstLivingMiserably)–Focusedonsuicideprevention, particularlyinmen:Call0800585858.
RethinkMentalIllness–Offeringadvice,services,andsupportgroupsforthoseliving withmentalillness.
Mentalhealthmattersjustasmuchasphysicalhealth.Ifyouarestruggling,knowthat helpisavailable,andyouarenotalone.Takethefirststep—talktosomeone,reachout
Office locations
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