CASE STUDY

Greater Anglia

Non Technical Skills

Brief

Greater Anglia were concerned with the number of operational incidents that they were experiencing and limited impact of their safety training updates and development plans with their front-line staff.

Realising that a different approach was required, they searched externally for a new provider of Human Performance (HP) training in order to raise driver and conductor awareness to the responsibilities within their safety critical role.

Solution

Initially, PPWD undertook a training needs analysis of the driver grade, which also considered the Driver Instructor (DI) and Driver Manager (DM) roles. The TNA resulted in the designing of a 5-year NTS Implementation Strategy, which included the additional challenge of a Safety Culture development towards a Just and Fair Culture.

The Strategy was approved by the Board and this enabled the delivery of a phased NTS Awareness training package for all Drivers and Trainees, Conductors and Trainees, Trainers, DIs and DMs.

The range of NTS packages were based on the Rail Safety and Standard Boards (RSSB) 7 NTS categories and 26 skills, tailored to each specific role’s requirements. Additionally, senior management received NTS Awareness training.

Classroom based training was designed which placed the operators at the centre of the learning. Professionally facilitated, highly interactive, thought provoking sessions were designed to blend theory and practice to result in the exchange of ideas, concepts and provide a range of tools and techniques which staff could employ the very next day within their front-line roles.

As a part of the Strategy, Assessors received specialist training assisting them in how to observe, report and constructively feedback NTSs to front-line operators.

Result

The success of the Strategy resulted in a reduction in operational incidents and an increase in the engagement from front-line staff, which has started the process of developing Greater Anglia’s open, reporting and learning cultures in the pursuit of a Just Safety Culture. These successes triggered a review, broadening and extension of the Strategy.

The updated Strategy was to provide additional NTS and Human Performance training to front-line and training staff, including management of mobile devices and 1-to-1 coaching of post-incident operators. Throughout the Strategies implementation phase, additional support has been provided to management for the further integration of NTS and HP training to the Competency Management Systems, Formal and Informal Assessments and the Risk Based Training Needs Analysis. PPWD continue to work Greater Anglia delivering NTS training to trainee drivers.