North Yorkshire Moors Railway General Discussion

For working the 20 hour day if was planned like that - the employer is responsible, if the day was extended due to issues and no relief provided the employer, for driving when so tried you fell asleep you are responsible. If you are falling asleep whilst driving after a day of stewarding it is time to question why you are doing it before you injury or kill yourself or some one else.
Are you suggesting some one has worked 45 to 50 hours in an office without a break / rest?

 

Of course not 40 or 50 hours without a break. Think the longest I ever worked without a break (other than for some food) for my employer was 28 hours.
Not many stewarding trips that are under about 16 hours, and the few I do now, I do by train, but then I have retired so probably more tired now than when I was working full time.
Unless of course you include business trips with aircraft involved.
Had two different colleagues he flew to Sydney after a day in the office, had a days meetings and flew straight back. Mind you they looked pretty ill when they got back in the office off the return flight.

 

It seemed to me that Chris 86 described the situation accurately. If there's an incident where fatique may be a causal factor then the employer could be liable even if that incident occurs outside working hours. Records would be examined to see if the individual involved had worked excessive hours and whether sufficient rest periods had intervened. It's one thing to have a fatique management policy but there 's a duty to make sure it's followed with particular emphasis on monitoring things like "door to door" times. That may be particularly difficult with regard to volunteers. Old age ( or perhaps the belated arrival of common sense) now precludes my working a ten hour signalling turn and then driving five hours home (which would take me well above the maximum 14 hour limit). Of course the railway may stipulate "You mustn't do that" but what about the regulatory guidance that it should monitor whether I complied? Heritage railways will typically require volunteers to confirm that they are adequately rested when signing on but should they also require details of time spent travelling to work and time travelling home or to a place of rest afterwards? Without that information, and evidence that they have sought to control any excessive travel times that become apparent, they could be at risk.

 

What does the NYMR's S.M.S have to say about the hours worked by safety critical workers?

 

I suggest you look at the case of Gary Hart to consider the personal impact.

As for the “employer”, I suggest that relying on such long hours and taking no responsibility for the fitness of their worker would leave them quite exposed if something went wrong.

 

Well I've worked in an organisation which had a Head of People, yet their role was nothing to do with HR at all.

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What the NYMR really needs, I suggest, is not a "head of people" but a "head of motivation" - rather like a roman emperor - but not whispering "remember you are mortal" in the ear of the CEO and other members of the SMT, but rather "remember this is first and foremost a heritage railway" - because that fact is what attracts both volunteers and customers. It's all too easy to forget if they are inclined to think of it as just a business!

 

You’re not wrong, but I do hope you don’t try implementing that policy using that sort of language. Demanding from me details like where I intend to be after I finish a duty would in my case result in me telling you where to put the information. Making me aware of the issue, and offering me alternatives, such as a shorter rostered turn or railway accommodation, would make me feel the railway cares.

 

Not asking where you intend to be but the requirement to monitor might involve seeking confirmation that you will not be driving more than a certain time/distance after work including possibly that you would not be driving home if it’s a long distance away but using volunteer accommodation instead. A shorter rostered turn may not be a realistic option for host of reasons. Showing you care is actually being concerned for your safety by checking that pre and post work travel is not exceeding recommended maxima.

 

Showing you care means using the right language.

 

It has never been an issue until this year, as daily running would have started at the end of March.

So looking at bank holiday weeks for this year.

Easter Monday - railway closed Thu / Fri
Early May Bank holiday - railway closed Thu / Fri
Spring Bank holiday - railway closed Thu / Fri

All of which I would suggest are key weeks of the year that people are having holidays or the schools off are being missed.

 

That's half term! Why on earth would you not open then? Then randomly the railway is open for one Thursday and Friday in June.

 

June is the diesel gala ,and end of Sept the steam gala dates so hardly random .
However ,not running Spring bank Thursday and Friday ,probably the most popular single week of the year for holidays …surprising ,unexplainable,inexcusable….is anyone competent running the **** show or are they all off work with stress or too busy finding why we can’t excuses ?

 

Ah, yes, so it is - I only had a quick glance on my phone and the colours looked quite similar for both the blue timetable and the diesel gala.

Not open Thursday and Friday in October half term either.

 

I take it you've not come across 'Human Capital Management', which makes my teeth itch…

 

It seems an odd pattern of opening. You would think it might be better to be open all week for school holidays. Consistency makes planning easier, but I am left wondering (again) if the needs of the organisation are trumping the needs of the customer. Hard to tell without information we cannot see. I really hope the choices have been made on the basis of the sales data from previous years.

 

Tom

 

Similarly what data shows you need to run more trains on Sundays between April and June and less from July onwards??

 

Hard to believe they are closed today in Easter week.
The Spring Bank week seems a crazy time to close.