RET

About RET

RET transports 650,000 passengers in the Rotterdam region every day. They do so with 3,500 employees, 284 buses, 112 streetcars and 166 subways. As an integrated public transport company, RET not only manages and maintains its own vehicles, but also the infrastructure: rails, switches, overhead lines and stations and buildings.

RET, the transport company in the Rotterdam region, is improving its safety culture. Part of this is the purchase of the Safety Dashboard. The system helps the transport company to rise from step 3 to step 4 on the Safety Ladder: from ‘calculating’ to ‘proactive’.

Safety is not just a matter of setting and enforcing rules; a company’s safety culture also plays a major role. Safety expert Norbert Dekker Kleijn, policy advisor on occupational health and safety and the environment, is concerned with promoting it at RET. ‘To achieve that, we have adopted a program from Dura Vermeer: ‘Seeing, Acting, Learning’. That fits the fourth rung of the Safety Ladder, where safety is a high priority and is continuously improved. That’s where we want to go,’ he says. RET considers safety rules important; the company is now on Step 3 of the ladder. ‘In that third tier, you need a lot of information as an organization. That was the reason for us to purchase Safety Dashboard. It gives us the data we need to adjust and grow the safety culture.’

RET has been working with the system since February, and Dekker Kleijn can already say he thinks it’s fantastic. ‘For certain unique situations in your company it might be useful to build your own software,’ he says. ‘Our metro network, for example, is unique, so you need customization for that. But industrial accidents are industrial accidents, whether they take place with us or elsewhere. We therefore chose a good and successful system that is easy to set up and easy to use. Safety Dashboard came out well in several areas. Quality was an important factor, and indeed: the system gives us very clear management information. And what’s nice: it is very transparent, but the privacy of victims is well guaranteed, personal data is protected.

Along with the system comes support, in the form of the customer service manager. ‘I am really very enthusiastic about the support,’ says Dekker Kleijn. ‘Full of energy they pick up every question and think along with us about the solution. They know what the system can do and when our regular contact person is on vacation, I really miss her. The developers of Safety Dashboard tackle the technical translation one-on-one. Half a word is enough for them to understand our question. They come up with very practical solutions in no time, which is why I am happy to have them as a partner. Fortunately, Safety Dashboard spares us helpdesk-like environments.

RET had the system up and running quickly; it was a ‘quick start-up’ for good reason, says Dekker Kleijn. ‘In just over two months we had it set up. Every week we had a meeting where we could ask our questions and make comments. That was processed quickly and we could move on immediately. We started setting up the reports of industrial accidents, near-accidents, dangerous situations and malfunctions. Very quickly we had a version ready for the test group, and it was actually immediately to our liking.

Since February, Dekker Kleijn has been introducing Safety Dashboard to all departments. ‘Of course employees have questions about the system, it is unfamiliar, but when I show it, they are immediately enthusiastic. Especially the numbers and statistics do well. Everything is immediately clear. Because of the insight into the trends we now have, I also have a different conversation with management. Many of our incidents have to do with passenger aggression. That predominates in occupational accidents and before you know it you are only concerned with that. The system helps us focus on the accidents and risks we can prevent. We are more long-term oriented, and at management level we can make better adjustments.’

Safety Dashboard helps RET grow in safety, by continuing to learn from incidents. ‘We have created a roadmap to work on safety culture over the next three years. For example, through talks, safety walks, a newspaper and a safety day.’ Not entirely coincidentally, that roadmap looks like a subway network. ‘That’s the intention,’ laughs Dekker Kleijn. ‘The effect of the culture program is that people no longer think I’m all about safety. We are all about safety. We have now made that cultural shift.’

Suitable for medium size, single sited, companies to Global multi sited companies.

We offer standard packages packed with pre-set filter options and sensible KPI’s for measuring your performance. We also can offer customised versions tailored to your way of working. We offer a personal service and you will have your own safety dashboard project manager to help guide you through the implementation.