Sleep Survey Launched For UK Rail Workers

“With up to 1 in 8 people now working night shifts in the UK, it is vital that we research the impact on their sleep and health” - Professor Russell Foster, Oxford University Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, October 2019

During a Track Safety Alliance ‘Fatigue and Sleep’ Conference in September 2018, representatives from different rail companies formed a collaborate campaign that would help inform industry workers of the real effects of fatigue and sleep deprivation. Combining their knowledge of the industries challenges, the safety scheme enlisted the help of Professor Russell Foster and his team from Oxford University Sleep and Neuroscience Institute, The Wellcome Trust and Liminal Space.

In July 2019, a site visit to Network Rail High Output’s project in Reading was hosted by Ben Brooks, Project Director and consisted of scientists and academics from Oxford University, Wellcome Trust and Liminal Space with the aim to collate data that would form a Sleep Survey. The Survey aims to conduct research into how working patterns may affect a workers sleep health and quality of life.

The survey will take all willing participants around 20 minutes to complete, and all data will be submitted anonymously to Oxford University for analysis. The survey is open to all rail workers in the UK, and all contractors, employees and night or day shift workers are encouraged to take part.

The more data the survey can reveal, the better the chance of gaining an understanding of how sleep patterns can influence behavioural and cultural change, not only for the industry, but for workers and their families alike.

Russell Bradshaw, Group HSQE Manager for RSS Infrastructure commented:

“As one of the original collaborators for the sleep survey, we are immensely proud of what we have set up thus far, not only have we created a platform that is easily accessible to all workers, but it is also a stepping stone for change which will help benefit all workers lives”.

Keith Gibbs, Head of IP Track Network Rail also commented:

“Bringing in Professor Russell Foster from Oxford University has really helped us create a safety campaign that inspires confidence and trust through his remarkable reputation. All data will be sent anonymously to be reviewed and studied, it is important that we get as many participants involved as possible as the more varied the data, the better our understanding of the struggles each worker faces regarding their fatigue and sleep”.

 

To fill in the survey, please visit: www.tinyurl.com/high-output-sleep-survey

The campaign partners include:

Network Rail High Output, McGinley Support Service, Oxford University, RSS Infrastructure Ltd, Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, Track Safety Alliance and Wellcome.