OVERVIEW
All contractors and designers working across the UK’s rail network are obligated to log and manage Close Calls to successful close out, reporting back to Network Rail and the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB).*
A Close Call is defined as anything that has the potential to cause harm or damage, compared with an incident that has already occurred and so reported separately.
For example, if a trip hazard is spotted it can be reported as a Close Call because someone could trip over it. If someone actually trips because of the hazard, it is then classed as an incident.
Close Calls include the potential to:
- Harm a person including minor, major injuries, and fatalities
- Harm the environment and/or protected species
- Damage railway infrastructure, plant, vehicles, tools, equipment, systems and information
Key Facts
- Working with Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) Alliance Partners, Network Rail, Alstom and SPL
- Provides a real-time Field-to-Control Room insight solution that simplifies the complete management and reporting of Close Calls, feeding reports directly to the RSSB.
- Automation of workflow resulted in significant reductions in time between reporting and rectifying each Close Call.
“With eviFie, we have seen a huge reduction in time taken up by repetitive tasks – allowing engineers to focus on making important decisions”
Craig Wilkinson, Business Development Manager, TRU East
Across the rail network supply chain, many disparate solutions are used to manage and collect Close Call information, ranging from telephone, paper and spreadsheets to individual contractors' bespoke solutions. The data created from these unconnected systems is often inconsistent and doesn’t provide an up-to-date holistic view of how Close Calls are affecting the running, maintenance or construction of the network.
What Triggered Change
The TRU team were already working with eviFile so tasked them with digitising and standardising the process, to provide one single industry-wide solution that could be used from Field to Control Room.
Why TRU Chose eviFile
To create an integrated solution, eviFile incorporated a Close Call workstream (app?) to their existing digital data collection and reporting platform used across the TRU programme.
As eviFile is highly customisable and configurable, it rapidly adapts to each organisation’s or project teams processes rather than forcing change. In this case, TRU were able to fully migrate from paper-based forms and excel spreadsheets to digital evidence capture, with audit trails and live reporting dashboards, meaning quality and compliance are managed continuously rather than retrospectively.
The solution overcomes resistance to change by being very simple to use – users on site simply scan a QR code using any mobile device or computer. Emails notify key stakeholders who can then investigate and designate actions to resolve the issue, uploading tagged photo / video upon completion to provide digital evidence.
Each incident is geo-tagged and auto-plotted on a map enabling instant analysis on patterns and trends to provide preventative action.
By using eviFile, engineers and site managers across the programme are able to collect and process crucial data in a clear and structured way, improving the resolution and reporting of incidents, improving safety, and reducing risks.
Successful rollout is supported through early stakeholder engagement and discovery workshops to discuss required forms, roles and permissions to match current processes. This enables project teams to begin shaping how the system works before full rollout and is an important consideration to consider is when replacing manual or spreadsheet-based processes.
Dedicated training and ongoing support are part of a successful rollout, whilst the pilot project demonstrated value, further helping to overcome any resistance to change.
What Changed After eviFile
The Control Room Dashboard provides instant visibility into the progress and volumes of Close Calls, ensuring that everyone who needs to access the data gets the right information at the right time, improving decision -making.
The eviFile Close Call solution is forecast to process and manage over 12,000 Close Calls by the end of 2023, with this number set to increase dramatically as the new TRU contract enables over 1,200 users to manage all site and track works digitally.
Other Business Benefits
Over the course of the pilot programme, adoption and engagement with the digital solution resulted in significant reductions in time, which provided a clear return on investment (ROI) for TRU. Did they take it on permanently after the pilot?
By using the eviFile digital platform, the large-scale Close Call programme was able to centralise and incorporate data from other platforms and workstreams to provide real-time data feed.
One key benefit is that RSSB reporting and data outputs are done through the push of a button - a major step forward and immense time saver for the whole rail network.
* In compliance with Network Rail’s NR/L3/OHS/0046 The Reporting, Investigation and Recording of Safety and Sustainable Development Events and Close Calls within Infrastructure Projects
Images throughout courtesy of Transpennine Upgrade Alliance
- Allows any volume of Close Calls to be raised without any extra cost.
- Automation of workflow resulted in significant reductions in time between reporting and rectifying each Close Call.
- Connection with other reporting (e.g. live call Close Call status in Possessions dashboards)
- Simplified and automated backend reporting to RSSB, saving time and allowing managers to focus on more value-added activities.
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