Rail Professional Magazine (September 2024) Article: Using the Predictive Power of NTS to help improve Train Driver Safety
Safety is a top priority in the rail industry, and ensuring train driver competence is crucial. A recent Rail Professional article shares an OPC study revealing that Non-Technical Skills (NTS) ratings can serve as a Leading indicator to help predict future safety incidents for train drivers.
The Study
The article highlights an extensive study conducted by the OPC with over 200 train drivers from a UK Train Operating Company (TOC). The study collected key data for each driver, including their:
- Safety performance
- Sickness record
- Competence assessment – Performance evaluations based on role-specific skills
- Non-Technical Skills (NTS) performance
For the competence and NTS assessments, Driver Managers compared each driver to their peers, rating their performance. OPC psychologists converted these ratings into an A-D grading system.
After two years, OPC psychologists returned to the operator and found that 55% of the same 200 drivers had been involved in at least one safety incident, establishing this as the baseline for the study.
The article also discusses the concept of Leading and Lagging indicators that have been used to monitor and improve workplace safety. Lagging indicators measure past events, like lost time accidents, whereas Leading indicators can be predictive, focusing on future outcomes.
“OPC psychologists wanted to see if historical NTS data could help predict which drivers were more likely to have a safety incident. We were trying to determine if an NTS performance rating could be a ‘Leading Safety-Critical Factor’ in identifying those drivers most at risk of an incident.”
Dr Stephen Fletcher, Occupational Psychologist and Director at the OPC
The Findings:
- The study highlighted that train drivers with lower NTS ratings (C-D) were much more likely to be involved in safety incidents, while those with higher NTS ratings had fewer incidents.
- It also suggests that NTS ratings emerged as a strong Leading indicator of future safety performance, even surpassing technical competence. This could allow rail companies to proactively identify and support at-risk drivers before safety incidents happen.
- Full details of the findings can be found in the Rail Professional article.
Recommendations
The piece went on to make some recommendations for TOC’s to proactively incorporate NTS ratings into their safety strategies, to help predict and prevent incidents. This could lead to more targeted support, earlier interventions, and a more efficient use of resources for drivers who need it most.
Industry Impact
The rail operator involved in the initial research is leading the way by expanding the study further to validate NTS as a predictive tool and explore potential enhancements.
How can the OPC help you harness the full power of NTS?
This research highlights the importance of utilising NTS as a predictive Leading safety indicator to improve safety performance. The OPC’s approach towards NTS support is always customisable to meet the specific needs of a client. We provide extensive NTS training, interventions and personalised development initiatives for drivers and driver managers.
You can read the full article here.
If you’re interested in using NTS as a predictive tool to help improve safety performance or you think the OPC can help with NTS support, get in touch with our friendly team.