Rail

Preventing Crashes Through Knowledge

Project Overview

Preventing crashes needs informed understanding of previous incidents to understand what happened, why, and how to use information to prevent incidents reoccurring. This project considered issues surrounding databases in general terms and the clients specific database and why they might not give good information on which to make decisions about resources and spend.  The database was considered using psychological research in order to inform how humans make decisions, reason and problem solve, how we interpret data and the influence of biases. Form fields within the database and their presentation and requirements were also considered, as was the collection of accurate causation rather than phenomena of incidents. Immediate, medium and long term recommendations were made.

Single Control Rooms

Single Control Rooms – Their Purpose – Perception and Reality

Project Overview

Across many industries control room functionality is sometimes assumed to have the same purpose - mainly associated with security and safety.   However many factors can affect what control rooms and their operators are able to deliver when factors such as technology, human limitations and organisations processes and procedures are taken into account.  A network rail control room was reviewed to understand what could actually be detected by the technology, the operating staff, and the effects of organisation processes and procedures from a security operations standpoint. The measure was to understand the ability of the control room operator to see and understand safety and security issues at its rail stations on the network and the effects of such thing as work overload or underload and organisation Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s).