Unions British Railways

Thanks must go to the numerous individuals within British Railways and also the Railway Inspectorate, who supported the research and gave up their time to be interviewed. Obviously this study could not have been undertaken without the co-operation of staff across British Railways, and it could not have proved such a rich source of data without the frankness and honesty with which they approached the interviews. The Directors of British Railways and the unions should also be thanked for exposing themselves to such scrutiny. I am very grateful to them and sincerely hope that this work has already helped to improve occupational health and safety on the railways and that it will contribute to future improvements in this and other industries. 

A great deal of work went into these schedules and I am grateful to colleagues at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, representatives of the Railway Inspectorate, the trades unions, and British Railways staff for their help in preparing these schedules which were so vital to the research. 

Another important factor in legitimating the research was the support of the unions. The National Union of Railwaymen (NUR) included an item on my research in its Safety Bulletin which explained what the research was about, who I was, and significantly gave the research its backing Her approach has been considered by the Health and Safety Sub-Committee who have recommended that the Union participate at all levels in the project . An item also appeared in British Railways national newsletter explaining the research and lending its support. 

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