Introduction: Rethinking Safety Ownership in a 24/7 Rail Environment

Rail never sleeps. Trains move, teams work, and decisions happen around the clock. In this high-stakes environment, safety cannot live solely in the hands of a centralised Health and Safety team. When something goes wrong at 1am, who truly owns safety?

At Hitachi Rail, this question became the catalyst for change. The answer sparked a transformation—shifting safety accountability from the Health and Safety (H&S) team to operational leaders on the ground. Through a strategic partnership with RSSB and the rollout of Accident Investigation Training (AIT), Hitachi Rail moved from reactive oversight to proactive ownership, embedding resilience where it matters most.

The Challenge: Closing the Accountability Gap

Historically, investigations were escalated to H&S due to inconsistent reporting and low confidence among frontline staff. While containment was effective, investigations lacked structure and clarity.

“In many businesses, anything with the word ‘risk’ or ‘safety’ gets handed straight to the H&S team. But operational managers understand their risk profiles better than anyone.” — Sam Pugh, Area HSE Manager at Hitachi Rail

The Turning Point: Partnering with RSSB

To address these challenges, Hitachi Rail partnered with RSSB to deliver Accident Investigation Training. The training introduced a structured, evidence-based methodology that linked facts, findings, and recommendations—bringing clarity, consistency, and transparency to the investigation process.

Training in Action: Practical, Relevant, Impactful

RSSB‘s training was delivered to operational staff—maintenance team leaders, duty shift managers, and facilities managers—who are often first responders. The course was tailored to real-world scenarios, with one- and two-day formats designed to be practical and accessible. The training helped team leaders understand their responsibilities—not just in the moment, but in following through with investigations, interviews, and reporting.

Key outcomes included:

  • Improved containment and evidence collection
  • Increased confidence in initiating investigations
  • Enhanced clarity and quality in reporting
  • Greater collaboration between HSE and operational teams.

Solution Benefits: From Compliance to Culture

Hitachi Rail treats near misses with the same rigour as actual incidents. Events such as SPADs (Signal Passed At Danger) and OLE (Overhead Line Equipment) isolations are investigated thoroughly, regardless of outcome.

“We don't wait for something to go wrong. A close call is often just luck away from being an actual event. We investigate it the same way because that's how we prevent recurrence.” — Sam Pugh

This proactive approach has helped shift the HSE team into a coaching role, allowing operational teams to lead investigations while receiving expert support when needed.

“We're no longer dragged into every investigation. We step into a coaching role, supporting the team while they lead. It's a huge shift in capability and confidence.” — Sam Pugh

Building for the Future: Competence Framework

The journey doesn't stop at training. Hitachi Rail is developing a tailored H&S Competence Framework to ensure training aligns with actual role requirements. This includes:

  • Moving away from generic, time-based cycles
  • Introducing targeted modules based on task profiles
  • Adding a dedicated report-writing module.

An Ongoing Journey of Resilience

Hitachi Rail continues to use RSSB's AIT course to upskill new staff and strengthen investigation competence across its operational teams.

“The requests for training aren't coming from H&S—they're coming from location managers. That tells you it's working. They see the value in having this capability built into their teams.” — Sam Pugh

Hitachi Rail's partnership with RSSB has done more than improve investigations—it has redefined safety ownership. By empowering operational leaders and embedding accountability at the front line, Hitachi is building resilience where it matters most: on the ground, in the moment, and across every shift.

“RSSB's training is never one-size-fits-all. Our approach is collaborative—we work hand in hand with organisations like Hitachi Rail to tailor programmes to their operational realities: shift patterns, role profiles, and real-world scenarios. This ensures teams have the confidence and capability to act decisively when it matters most.” — Thanuja Kandasamy, Head of Learning & Development, RSSB

Beyond today's challenges, we work in partnership with the rail industry to anticipate future capability needs and build resilience in a rapidly evolving environment. To see all the training offering, visit our dedicated training pages or to discuss your organisational development goals directly, email us at training@rssb.co.uk.