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Health, Safety & Risk

Senior Safety Manager
Senior Safety Manager

Craig Kerr

  • Company:
    Avanti West Coast
  • Job title:
    Senior Safety Manager
Day to Day tasks
Lead a team of safety business partners who look after the occupational safety of all our customers and colleagues ensuring our trains and station locations are safe and secure.
Skills needed for this role
e.g., written and verbal communication, research skills, stakeholder relationships, data analysis
Good communication, resilience, influencing, compassion, high levels of attention to detail, presentation skills, and the ability to collaborate.
My working environment
Usually, office based however often involving being out on the network, travelling to stations or depots so a very good variety.
Pathways into this role
Entry level Railway opportunities and upskilling from there however I came from an 18-year career in aviation and pivoted into Rail Safety so as long as you have skills and experience in transport and safety these are often transferrable.
Education
e.g., GCSE
Education is key, I have an MSc in Safety and Human factors and various NEBOSH accreditations which can be supported by your employer as part of a development plan.
Best and most challenging things about this job
Best part of the job is meeting people and knowing what we do helps to keep them safe and secure, the job satisfaction is great. Most challenging part of the job is the early morning starts to travel the network as it’s so vast!
Level Crossing Manager
Level Crossing Manager

Amanda Ingram

  • Company:
    Network Rail
  • Job title:
    Level Crossing Manager
Day to Day tasks

Writing full NRA for each level crossing using quantitative and qualitive skills to reflect the risk at the level crossing and any mitigations required to bring to ALARP. Written skills must be suitable for public domain and may even be for public inquiries etc.

Verbal communication is key to be able to converse with internal and external stakeholders on all things level crossing. Dealing with authorised users/projects/councils/maintenance teams/rights of way/members of public/TOC & FOC/liabilities/legal teams/operational colleagues/ORR/RAIB.

Driving license to be able to use company vehicle and travel to all level crossing portfolio to inspect/maintain/risk assess as required.

Adaptable as you need to be able to work independently and within a team.

Understanding ORR principles and guidance relating to level crossings, including the procedure for obtaining level crossing orders.

My working environment
Every day is different. Working within offices and then out in all weathers at various level crossings. Attending meetings internally and externally – these could be out of ‘normal’ working hours.
Pathways into this role
From an accountancy background. Came into Network Rail on a 1-year contract working on the Wessex route accounts. From this became a full time Network Rail employee within the Performance Team as a Performance Analyst. Then when the ORR deemed that Level Crossing Managers were required to ‘own’ a level crossing portfolio due to the risk to the railway was successful in becoming and LCM for Wessex route to date.
Education
e.g., GCSE
7 GCSE, Association of Accounting Technicians, IOSH.
Best and most challenging things about this job

Best things about the job: The variety - no day is the same. Flexible role. Dealing with so many stakeholders. Reducing risk SFAIRP. Seeing through a project/mitigation/closure of a level crossing.

Most challenging things about the job: The time it takes to implement a mitigation. Funding. Dealing with so many stakeholders and managing expectations.

There are also many other rail roles in the Health, Safety & Risk category, such as Safety Advisor, Risk Analyst, Incident Investigation Officer, Fire and Emergency Manager, Safety Assurance Coordinator, and Occupational Health Advisor.