Company responsible for Piccadilly Line upgrade receives health & safety awards

Tube Lines, the company responsible for rebuilding the Tube’s busiest lines, has won two different health and safety awards. 

Tube Lines won a Five Star Health and Safety Audit Award from the British Safety Council and a prestigious RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Award for 2006.

To win the RoSPA award, Tube Lines demonstrated a robust health and safety management system through which it has been able to reduce accident rates. 

David Rawlins, RoSPA Awards Manager, said “Tube Lines has demonstrated how seriously it takes health and safety management and is a fine example to many other companies. We would like to see more organisations following its lead by providing a positive example.”

The group within Tube Lines responsible for upgrading 97 of the 100 stations on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines by 2010 won the British Safety Council accolade following a rigorous audit of its safety management systems, safety procedures and site standards.

Risk assessments, maintenance records, fire safety equipment, working procedures and Tube Lines employees and contractors were all put under the microscope. The British Safety Council gives organisations a rating from one to five to indicate the effectiveness of their safety programmes.

David Ballard, Chief Executive of the British Safety Council, said “A positive company image through first-class health and safety is vital. It not only makes excellent business sense to have the safest workplace possible, but it also boosts the morale of employees. I hope other companies will take the lead from Tube Lines and forge the way towards a safer future with a Five Star award.”

Tube Lines is currently using one of London’s last surviving Routemaster buses to drive home the message of safety to those working to maintain and upgrade the system for London’s passengers. The bus has been transformed into a mobile classroom and exhibition centre, stopping at sites across the network day and night to get the safety message across to those working at the coalface.

Steve Connell, Health & Safety Manager at Tube Lines, said “These are important awards for Tube Lines to have won as they demonstrate our commitment to improving safety at work. They also demonstrate the importance we place on fostering a culture in which all our employees and contractors are encouraged to think and work responsibly and to bring in innovation to drive through better safety performance.”

April 10, 2006