Getting safety on the right track

In order to minimise the number of incidents on the railways, everyone who works on them must possess a Digital Safety Passport. Every year, around 50,000 people apply for the safety passport.

JMCW was asked to develop a digital system for obtaining these passports in collaboration with Railinfra Opleidingen.

Background

Accidents can happen. However, when you work on the railway, these accidents can result in you being hit by a train. For this reason, safety is far and away the number one priority for ProRail BV, the company responsible for rail infrastructure management in the Netherlands. This concerns both the safety of their own personnel and the contractors commissioned to work on the tracks. To ensure that everyone knows ProRail's house rules through and through, the 'Access to the Tracks' programme was developed.

The rail network includes over 7,000km of track, nearly 2,800 level crossings, 4,500km of overhead cables and 405 stations. As a result, a huge number of people are required to keep this enormous network properly maintained. In their capacity of rail infrastructure management, ProRail is responsible for the rail network and regularly hires external companies to conduct maintenance work. However, before these people are given 'access to the tracks', they must gain thorough awareness of the risks involved in carrying out maintenance work on the railway.

The assignment

Devise, design and realise an appealing programme and online test for obtaining the Digital Safety Passport - in seven different languages.

Our approach

MCW started work on a concept in collaboration with Railinfra Opleidingen. The result was a website, an online test and a number of short films, all of which were integrated into a single training programme.

The results

The 'Access to the Tracks' programme is based on ProRail's house rules and consists of nine different topics. Every topic includes a short film, all of the important facts and a number of practice questions. After completing all of the topics, visitors receive an access code that allows them to take a test. You will not be able to obtain a Digital Safety Passport (DVP) or an Access Pass for ProRail grounds if you have not passed this test.

Short films
The nine films that MCW created for the programme include an explanation of ProRail's Life Saving Rules, and every different film deals with a specific safety dilemma. From clean surroundings to bearing passengers in mind and from securing sites against theft to personal protective equipment.

The new programme is significantly different to the old programme, 'Safety on the Rails', not only regarding the content, but also particularly in terms of structure and layout. Railinfra Opleidingen was responsible for the content. MCW developed the dynamic website and brought all of the practical situations to life using film, photography and infographics.