Making better, faster decisions
Just one example is G-FORCE, a tool that helps people make good decisions safely and quickly. James Lonergan, Lead Human Factors Specialist at RSSB explained: “Every day, rail staff make decisions that help keep people safe, whether it’s customers or colleagues. It might be on the platform, in the signal box or in the driver’s cab. Usually, decisions are based on rules and a chain of command. That helps to keep the railway safe, but it can make decision‑making slow. And that can lead to delayed trains, escalating safety risks on the network and mounting frustration for passengers or freight customers.”
This is why RSSB developed G-FORCE. It’s a tool to help staff on the ground make the right decisions without always having to get approval from people who might not be available right away.
G-FORCE adapts decision-making models from other safety-critical industries to rail’s unique needs. People use its framework to make rational logical decisions. That means it helps reduce delays, boost performance and gives customers a better experience. James added: “It’s particularly useful when there’s no rule to cover the situation, when different rules clash, or when applying a rule would lead to a bad outcome. In some cases, people need permission to act, but can’t always get it immediately. Doing nothing can make a situation worse or add risk, so G-FORCE empowers them to make a decision.”
Cutting delays by being more decisive
For Great Western Railway (GWR), passengers potentially faced a long delay because two rules clashed, said Deborah Hawken, Train Service Delivery Manager: “There was a defective piece of equipment on a train – a vigilance device that goes off to make sure the driver is still awake. One part of our company standard said the train could terminate at a certain station, but another part said it couldn’t go that far with the device not working. So the controller used G-FORCE and allowed the train to go to a slightly further station where there were more facilities. That was a really good use of G-FORCE [because] just sitting there and waiting wouldn’t have been good for anyone.”
G-FORCE also helped when, to ease congestion, a signaller pointed a driver to a route they hadn’t signed for. “This went against the standard that says drivers should only travel on routes they know,” said Deborah. “We put some mitigations in place to be able to carry out that move safely, clear the other trains and then allow the driver to return to the previous route.”
In a more volatile world, there’s more chance of running into challenging situations that rules don’t cater for, says Deborah: “As we come out of the pandemic, there are many scenarios that we might not have foreseen. We can’t write a rule for all of them, and we can’t update procedures every five minutes off the back of every incident, so this gives a little bit of empowerment, help and reasoning to people taking decisions.”
For more information about becoming an RSSB affiliate, and the benefits it could bring, visit www.rssb.co.uk/join-rssb.
Expert View: James Lonergan, Lead Human Factors Specialist, RSSB
The G-FORCE Tool: a rail-specific decision-making model
Whilst rules are fundamental in keeping rail users safe, it is not possible for the Rule Book, industry standards and company policies to cover all possible scenarios in such a vast system. Whilst these scenarios may be few and far between, it is important that organisations and their people are prepared and confident enough to make decisions to halt risk before it spreads further through the network. There have been well publicised cases in GB rail where indecision has led to increased risk, for example trains being stranded and passengers self-evacuating, leaving members of the public exposed to live
railway operations.
There are several situations where staff could be required to make a decision:
- There is no rule covering the situation
- The procedure specifies permission or advice from an individual that can’t be contacted
- More than one rule applies and they conflict with each other
- Something unique about the scenario means applying the rule would be impossible or unsafe.
We are lucky in rail to have so many personnel with years of experience and strong non-technical skills to help problem solve in situations like the ones outlined above. However, as an industry, we offer little in support when it comes to decision-making in degraded scenarios.
The G-FORCE decision-making model is a simple way to channel the experience and knowledge of staff into rational decisions to prevent potentially risky
situations from escalating. It takes the user through a step-by-step process that encourages them to gather evidence, develop multiple options and consider the risks of any potential actions. It was designed and trialled in consultation with the industry and built upon the research and decision-making systems used in other safety critical industries such as aviation and the military.
Our trial with various train operators and infrastructure groups demonstrated that using G-FORCE made the decision-making process easier and gave even the most experienced decision-makers more confidence in choosing what to do in difficult circumstances. It also revealed the flexibility of the model, with organisations training up a variety of roles and using the principles of the model to better collaborate on decision-making that requires the involvement of several decision-makers.
For more information about the G-FORCE Tool, and training on how to use it, visit www.rssb.co.uk/training.
