Driver Nigel Smith
Nigel Smith was charged with gross misconduct and demoted. This section will show that he should not have been demoted because the real issue was management failing's. Charges levelled against Nigel can be seen below.
What Nigel has done above is something that could have happened to any other driver, especially when you read the following reports.
Nigel came to me after his incident, it was clearly evident to me that Nigel didn't do these misdemeanors through being reckless, he was suffering from heat stress. I asked him to put what he was telling me in report form and hand this in to management. When he presented this to management he was told that it would harm his defence and it would be best to withdraw the report, which is what he did.
My report handed to TPE management:
My report handed to TPE management:
Below is the GNER documentation.
This is a basic risk assessment done by GNER, the train Nigel boarded had been sat in direct sunlight for 5 hours! That is why the course of action's he took could have happened to any driver.
The following documents are my covering letter to Peter Grant who was representing Nigel and a copy of the "Health & Safety Report on Heat Stress".
Some relevant points to make from the above report bearing in mind that this happened in 2006 and I was dismissed in 2009. I asked Iain Beck the Employee Director to read the report at his next board meeting, he told me that they wouldn't allow him to do so! A case of leading from the top?
Reporting health and safety matters cost me my job, it is all well and good making these statements but in reality it mean's nothing.
This had been going on since TPE took over the franchise in 2004, note as I previously pointed out, this is 2006 and my anger is towards their IGNORANCE and VICTIMISATION.
"If you cannot do it safely, don't do it". Just look above at what I complain about, all it sadly show's is IGNORANCE and VICTIMISATION, is there any wonder that I resigned as health and safety rep in 2007. How can (even now) First Group Board Member's sit back and do nothing about this, after all the same manager's are still employed.
All the above can be called is First Group Propaganda
Below you will see 2 reports by myself regarding HEAT in the driving cabs and the vile working condition's followed by one of the very few responses that I ever received.
Firstly, I do not hold Naz Chikhalia responsible for the failing's of TPE management, at least this man, who could manage even with his hand's tied behind his back and the VICTIMISATION he suffered from Barry Cook, as another manager pointed out as being RACISM.
You can make your own mind up about this statement, but just think, Nigel Smith ends up demoted due to this serious health and safety problem, which I had brought to the attention of this management numerous times before his incident and numerous times afterwards. To me it further highlights the IGNORANCE of this management.
So let me ask all of you that have read this section, do you think Nigel Smith deserved to be demoted? If you had encountered the condition's he put up with and you had been booked on that job, it could have been you.
Below are a series of reports that were filled in after Nigel Smith's SPAD and incident. You would think for a "safety comes first" company that lesson's would have been learn't.
So let me ask all of you that have read this section, do you think Nigel Smith deserved to be demoted? If you had encountered the condition's he put up with and you had been booked on that job, it could have been you.
Below are a series of reports that were filled in after Nigel Smith's SPAD and incident. You would think for a "safety comes first" company that lesson's would have been learn't.
I could add many more reports and defect slip's highlighting this issue, but what use would it be? Because all I have to say regarding them all is, that they were all IGNORED.