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Axxx1 Apr 1, 2013 20:27:50 GMT

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Post by railtechnician on Apr 1, 2013 20:27:50 GMT

Apr 1, 2013 17:37:42 GMT Nortube said:

If I still have a copy of that rule book somewhere, I'll have to have a look. I did have a clear out some months back and got rid of a load of excess paperwork, including lots of pretty coloured appendices (I still had the cloth(?) covered ones that I was first issued with. At least i did read through them all. When the doorstep size The Cat Sat on The Mat replacement was issued, like most staff I didn't bother to look at it at all. For most people, if they didn't throw it away when they received it, it became locker ballast and only saw light of day if you needed to prove you still had it.

The 1974 red cover rule book was pocket size (large pocket) and perfectly adequate for rail staff who were required to attend an annual reading of the rules refresher and expected to keep a few important rules in their heads. Next we had the slightly thicker but larger A5 size 1983 rule book with green cover, next came the fluorescent pink covered rule book in 1990 and in 1992 a reprint in loose leaf form in a pink A5 binder half an inch thick and certainly not for a pocket! Those were all okay to carry in a tool bag/protection bag with our horns, whistles, dets, supplement to Appendix 2, Traffic Circular, EWSA, Special Notice etc but the two 2" A5 binder personal working manual was an absolute joke, nevertheless we were told that we had to carry it.
It was a ridulous publication and an absolute waste of valuable rain forest. Whoever instigated the idea of spelling out every possible role for every possible rule in consistent repetitive style should have been awarded a Longwindedness Medal for the most exceptionally stupid book of rules ever issued. I did actually read mine from cover to cover over a period of weeks and there was very little new in it if one already knew and understood the rules and regulations that we were perfectly familiar with except that , that very useful expression that allowed one to do almost anything that wasn't specifically covered in previous rule books, "all parties must come to a complete agreement", was conspicuous by its absence. Of course it was a nightmare for those without a grammar school education as they tried to decipher which hat(s) they were supposed to be wearing.

It wasn't long before the rule telling us to carry the working manual was rescinded and soon after that the personal issue was withdrawn and we all had to hand them back, a depot copy was then issued, a shelf full of A4 sized volumes covering everything but still only really useful to the well educated and literate.

In my opinion the Working Manual made an easy job with simple, robust and understandable rules and procedures that were not too difficult to remember, a nightmare for those who didn't know where to start reading. It may well have lessened safety because most people would not read it when they were issued it, most copies were buried in lockers or otherwise forgotten. However, the Working Manual was the beginning of the 'Jobsworth' era in which those who were not 'dyed in the wool' railway staff saw an opportunity to be awkward and cover their derrieres using belt and braces, after which grew the PC brigade which pretty much stifled the mess room banter and killed the job stone dead for many of us who were happy in our work as competent experienced professionals. Thus along came the H&S yellow helmets, who knew the rules inside out or so they thought, most of those I met were not railwaymen and were office types who had probably never lifted more than a pencil and clipboard. When they met me I was a challenge and they lost as I knew the rules applicable to my tasks.

Axxx1

Post by railtechnician on Apr 1, 2013 20:27:50 GMT

Post by WLX568 on Aug 19, 2013 22:27:36 GMT