1. RailAlert, go to work healthy, return home healthy
How to train brain based safety
Robert Oosterhof (a)
, André van Es (b)
(a)
Managing director railAlert
(b)
Project manager and Secretary office certification and examination of rail safety staff railAlert
Article Information
Keywords:
Safety risk culture
Staff certification and
examination
Shared responsibility
Brain based safety
Learning from incidents
Corresponding author:
Robert Oosterhof
Tel.: +31 30 287 4481
e-mail: r.oosterhof@railalert.nl
P.O. Box 2696
3500 GR Utrecht
Netherlands
Abstract
RailAlert is an independent foundation which has been established in 2006. This year the
Dutch railway network managers, the association of constructers, the association of
consulting engineers and the safety personnel suppliers have transmitted the responsibility
and organisation for certification, the examination of railway staff and the certification of
systems and products to railAlert. Apart from the new responsibilities, railAlert received the
necessary staff on a secondment base from the above mention organisations.
RailAlert’s mission is to reduce the number of rail infrastructure related accidents to zero,
these include accidents related to working on, as well as, alongside the tracks. Focus lies on
preventing workers from getting injured or involved in fatal rail related accidents. Such
accidents may include receiving a high voltage shock from the traction power supply system
or being hit by a passing train.
Apart from the certification of staff, systems and products, railAlert improves or reduces the
existing regulations and proposes new ones where found to be necessary. RailAlert
implements safety regulations from the level of the CEO’s until the core level of the craftsman
outside.
Today, railAlert is responsible for the certification and examination of more than 60 different
tasks in the field of railway safety, traction power supply systems and safety critical tasks.
The latter includes for example employees such as turnout mechanics and signalling
engineers. In the coming years the number of tasks to exanimate will increase due to tram
and metro network managers joining railAlert.
In order to analyse whether RailAlert will be able to fulfil their objective of perfect safety they
have developed a Safety Dashboard. Based on the data provided by the organizations
involved the dashboard displays how the industry performs with regard to safety and whether
the results are in line with the future prospects.
It appears we may have reached a turning point. Until recently, railAlert has invested in the
regulations and certifications of tasks, professions and functions. However a new approach
has been established, the new mind-set is ‘taking one’s own responsibility for safety’. The
importance of safety should be self-evident. The workers themselves should be aware of
working in a safe way.
Awareness is our new focus. Which leads us to the subtitle of this paper: ‘How to train brain
based safety’.

2. 1 Introduction
The Netherlands has one of the busiest rail networks in
the world, requiring a lot of maintenance. However, there
are few train-free periods to perform maintenance on the
railroad tracks.
Partly due to the ever-present tension between
working efficiently in the short periods available and
working safely, the railway sector decided in 2004 to act
jointly on improving the safety of track workers on and
around the rail infrastructure. This led to the
establishment of the railAlert foundation in 2006.
1.1 Objective
RailAlert is the platform for (labour) safety in the
industry. RailAlert encourages collaboration and is a
facilitator for the organization, design, and implementation
of safety initiatives. RailAlert primarily focuses on creating
regulations for two risks that are directly related to the rail
industry: collision with a train / rail vehicle and
electrocution by the traction power system.
Fig. 1 Main objectives.
The purpose of the regulations:
- Demonstrably achieve and/or maintain the highest
level of safety with respect to collision and
electrocution hazard;
- Implementing safety performance improvements
when performing work in or near rail infrastructure.
The main objective of railAlert (in the Netherlands) is to
ensure that no fatalities or lost workdays due to sickness
occur. SMART1
:
- Reducing the number of accidents in the industry by
10% per year;
- Continuous safety performance improvement by
helping others improve;
1
Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely
- Reducing the number of near-collisions by at least
10% per year.
We try to achieve this with a high level of involvement
and input from within the industry. We initiate and guide
processes to improve work safety from the initial idea
throughout implementation. All levels of the organization
are involved, from manager to track worker. Ultimately,
the industry itself remains responsible. All involved parties
are and remain responsible for their share in work safety.
railAlert will not assume sole responsibility.
1.2 Organization
The involvement and contribution of the sector has
been clarified. RailAlert does not have its own staff. The
director and five staff members for the daily management
of the foundation are all in the service of one of the
companies in the industry and have been supported for 4
years.
The actual structure, design, and implementation of
safety initiatives are organized into six so-called offices.
The offices are the core of railAlert and include:
- Office for regulations preventing collisions staff - train
- Office for regulations preventing collisions staff -
tram/metro
- Office for regulations preventing electrocution
- Office for system certification
- Office for product certification
- Office for person certification
Part of the offices are representatives from various
industry organizations such as engineering firms,
contractors, safety personnel suppliers, and infrastructure
managers. The aim is to divide the offices into 50%
infrastructure managers and 50% contractors.
In the next paragraph we like to highlight the Office for
person certification because this Office has the focus on
the training and examination of people.
1.2.1 Office for person certification
The office for person certification is responsible for the
preparation of certification schemes and exams. The
certification schemes are created on the basis of jointly
established industry skill requirements. For a number of
tasks, medical and psychological requirements are also
defined.
Currently, more than 60 tasks have been certified.
These can be divided into safety tasks and critical railway
safety tasks.
Safety tasks

3. The safety tasks are tasks for people who are
responsible at different hierarchical levels for the safety of
workers in or around the rail infrastructure. This includes
everyone, from the Health and Safety Coordinator to the
employee who warns rail workers about approaching
trains.
Critical railway safety tasks
The critical railway safety tasks focus on functions
where improper work performance may lead to serious
consequences for train traffic. Think of turnout mechanics
and signalling engineers.
1.2.2 The Exam and Certification
Bureau
The Exam and Certification Bureau, a separate
organization (appointed by railAlert), conducts
examinations and monitors the validity periods. The Exam
and Certification Bureau works for approximately 400
companies, and examines approximately 3,000
candidates every year.
The Exam and Certification Bureau manages and
organizes exams that are verified by independent
commissions. An objective assessment is therefore
guaranteed. The Inspectorate for Transport, Public
Works, and Water Management (part of the Ministry of
Infrastructure and Environment) recognizes Exam and
Certification Bureau as an independent testing agency.
2 Measuring the results: the safety
dashboard
Have the measures so far led to an improvement of the
safety impact? The answer is ‘yes’. Since 2006, no
fatalities have occurred during work on the railroad.
Absenteeism due to (minor) injuries has also seen a
decrease in recent years.
Fig. 2 Quarterly results incidents.
To monitor and analyse this we developed a web
based safety dashboard which is available online since
end 2014. Based on the data provided by the
organizations and concessionaires involved, the
dashboard displays how the industry performs with regard
to safety and whether the results are in line with the
agreements. As a result, affiliated organizations may
make their own analysis. For example, it is possible to
compare the results of their own company with fellow
companies in the industry. The success of the safety
dashboard lies in the fact that companies are open to
vulnerability by making all data on incidents and near
misses available.
This transparency is necessary in order to learn from
each other, as well as for companies to take the next step
towards improved safety.
3 The next steps
Mid-2014, railAlert organized a conference for the
CEO’s and directors of all member organizations in the
rail industry. The theme: “Personal responsibility for
safety”.
This theme was based om the outcome of our
analyses. It turned out that more than two fifth of the ‘near
misses’ where due to deliberately avoided procedures.
Fig. 3 Reasons near misses.
An important conclusion of this conference was that
adding more regulations would make no significant
contribution towards safety. The aim is to decrease the
number of regulations and simplify them where possible.
The best way to prevent further accidents is by
positively influencing attitude and behaviour. The main
question was ‘how’?
The first action we took was to shift the emphasis from
periodic re-examinations to additional training and
practical assessment. Particularly during the latter, much
more attention can be paid to attitudes and behavior.
The next step were two major programs:
- Digital safety Passport (already started in 2014)
- Serious gaming
4 Digital Safety Passport
During the 2nd UIC World Congress on Rail Training in
2013, Jos Gabriëls of Railinfra Training Centre provided
lectures and training on the then emerging Digital Safety
Passport [1]. Two years later, more than 40,000 safety
passports were issued. The management thereof has
been handed over to railAlert.

4. If you look at the Digital Safety Passport program at a
glance, the first thing you notice is a cash card with a
photo of the holder and a QR code.
Fig. 4 The authors Digital Safety Passport.
You need Digital Safety Passport for working in or
nearby the train tracks or construction sites of ProRail
(the Dutch train network infrastructure manager). In the
coming years it is likely that the Digital Safety Passport
will be also mandatory for work at metro lines.
But the program is much more than just a ‘cash card
with a photo’. It is the philosophy behind it that matters.
First of all we defined nine Life Saving Rules. These
rules have been determined (in collaboration with
representatives from the railway industry) to be very
important in the rail safety field. The most important
(tenth) rule is actively address each other on safe and
unsafe behaviour. Safety Coaches monitor compliance
with the Life Saving Rules and inform workers aware of
their behaviour. This may involve coaching undesirable
behaviour as well as complimenting exemplary behaviour.
The nine Life Saving Rules are available in English,
French, German, Turkish, Slovak, Hungarian, Portuguese
and Polish. The reason; railAlert is increasingly faced with
internationalization. Not only do foreign companies
operate in the Netherlands, Dutch companies are also
increasingly working abroad.
To obtain the Digital Safety Passport, candidates must
take two steps. The first step is the ‘Access to the track’
e-learning program to work on or around the railway
under the management of ProRail. This online training
consists of nine themes. Every theme includes a short
film, facts, and practice questions. Candidates may take
the training at any time; it is publicly accessible via the
railAlert website. Before taking the test, a password is
provided. The employer is responsible for ensuring that its
employees use ‘Access to the track’ properly. The online
training ‘Access to the track’ is available in English [2],
French [3], German [4], Turkish [5] and Polish [6].
Fig. 5 Screenschot ‘Access to the track’ e-learning program.
The second step is a group session based safety
training. The training focusses on the safety awareness of
people working in the railway sector. In this training,
dilemmas that arise involving the Life Saving Rules are
discussed. The training focuses on the dialogue between
each other regarding safety. It is less about the rules
themselves.

5. Fig. 6 Group session about dilemmas.
The less visible part of the Digital Safety Passport is
the ICT component. Safety employees and Safety
Coaches are able to ‘read’ someone’s passport with a
special App on their smartphone. The QR code connects
the smartphone with associated database and links with
human resource systems. It ensures that there is always
an up-to-date safety passport with current authorization.
5 Life Savers Game
Another way to let people experience what the impact
of attitude and behaviour may have on safety is
experience it (in a safe way!). In order to do this, we use
the method of ´Serious Gaming´. ProRail has taken the
initiative to develop the ´Lifesavers Game´ with the aim to
create an industry-wide game related to safety (under the
management of railAlert).
The game was developed with the aim to encourage a
positive and contemporary way to stimulate attitudes and
behaviour and to provide insight into the chain when it
comes to influencing the occurrence of a potential
accident. To do this, the game makes use of accidents
that have actually taken place and the choices that could
have been made at the time. The accidents have been
used as inspiration for creating dramatized scenarios that
can then be played out. By handing out so-called ‘Life
Savers’ in the chain, the course of a scenario can be
influenced. To encourage players to further think about
safety, the ‘Life Savers’ can be used to score points. The
website shows how good a player is compared to his/her
colleagues.
Fig. 7 Screenschot ‘Lifesaversgame’
The game was launched on December 16, 2014 by the
President/Director of ProRail. By means of cascading
from the top of the company, the intention is to involve
everyone in this game. It is not just about playing the
game. The game presents dilemmas on the basis of
which choices have to be made. These dilemmas may act
as input to the conversations that take place within the
department, expertise teams, or with industry peers. The
emphasis is on the positive discussion regarding safety
and the willingness to present oneself in a transparent
way. We also want to widely distribute our message. The
game will be brought to the attention of industry parties.
The goal is to have 20,000 registered participants by mid-
2015.
Currently, there are four available scenarios. New
scenarios will be released periodically. The industry is
committed to actively participate in this by providing its
own real-life accidents, which will be converted into game
scenarios.
6 Conclusion
In conclusion. Achieving progression in the level of
safety for rail maintenance workers:
- is the responsibility of all rail industry parties;
- means sharing all information about near misses,
incidents and accidents;
- is best organized by an independent organization
trusted and respected by all parties;
- is not only certification of craftsmanship, products and
procedures;
- is a mind-set;
- is sharing success.
With this paper, we want to inspire our colleagues
worldwide and share our motto: “People who go to work
healthy should come back healthy”.
References
[1] 2013 Digital Saftey Passport - Improving saftey
awareness, Jos Gabriëls, filename:
39_Gabriels_Digital_saftey_Passport.pdf.
[2] http://www.toegangtothetspoor.nl/en/
[3] http://www.toegangtothetspoor.nl/fr/
[4] http://www.toegangtothetspoor.nl/de/
[5] http://www.toegangtothetspoor.nl/tr/
[6] http://www.toegangtothetspoor.nl/pl/

6. Fig. 6 Group session about dilemmas.
The less visible part of the Digital Safety Passport is
the ICT component. Safety employees and Safety
Coaches are able to ‘read’ someone’s passport with a
special App on their smartphone. The QR code connects
the smartphone with associated database and links with
human resource systems. It ensures that there is always
an up-to-date safety passport with current authorization.
5 Life Savers Game
Another way to let people experience what the impact
of attitude and behaviour may have on safety is
experience it (in a safe way!). In order to do this, we use
the method of ´Serious Gaming´. ProRail has taken the
initiative to develop the ´Lifesavers Game´ with the aim to
create an industry-wide game related to safety (under the
management of railAlert).
The game was developed with the aim to encourage a
positive and contemporary way to stimulate attitudes and
behaviour and to provide insight into the chain when it
comes to influencing the occurrence of a potential
accident. To do this, the game makes use of accidents
that have actually taken place and the choices that could
have been made at the time. The accidents have been
used as inspiration for creating dramatized scenarios that
can then be played out. By handing out so-called ‘Life
Savers’ in the chain, the course of a scenario can be
influenced. To encourage players to further think about
safety, the ‘Life Savers’ can be used to score points. The
website shows how good a player is compared to his/her
colleagues.
Fig. 7 Screenschot ‘Lifesaversgame’
The game was launched on December 16, 2014 by the
President/Director of ProRail. By means of cascading
from the top of the company, the intention is to involve
everyone in this game. It is not just about playing the
game. The game presents dilemmas on the basis of
which choices have to be made. These dilemmas may act
as input to the conversations that take place within the
department, expertise teams, or with industry peers. The
emphasis is on the positive discussion regarding safety
and the willingness to present oneself in a transparent
way. We also want to widely distribute our message. The
game will be brought to the attention of industry parties.
The goal is to have 20,000 registered participants by mid-
2015.
Currently, there are four available scenarios. New
scenarios will be released periodically. The industry is
committed to actively participate in this by providing its
own real-life accidents, which will be converted into game
scenarios.
6 Conclusion
In conclusion. Achieving progression in the level of
safety for rail maintenance workers:
- is the responsibility of all rail industry parties;
- means sharing all information about near misses,
incidents and accidents;
- is best organized by an independent organization
trusted and respected by all parties;
- is not only certification of craftsmanship, products and
procedures;
- is a mind-set;
- is sharing success.
With this paper, we want to inspire our colleagues
worldwide and share our motto: “People who go to work
healthy should come back healthy”.
References
[1] 2013 Digital Saftey Passport - Improving saftey
awareness, Jos Gabriëls, filename:
39_Gabriels_Digital_saftey_Passport.pdf.
[2] http://www.toegangtothetspoor.nl/en/
[3] http://www.toegangtothetspoor.nl/fr/
[4] http://www.toegangtothetspoor.nl/de/
[5] http://www.toegangtothetspoor.nl/tr/
[6] http://www.toegangtothetspoor.nl/pl/