Dear TFL, Could I please have a list of all passenger and staff incidents in 2016 that you may be aware of related to heat illness related issues. for example, passengers/staff dehydrated on the tube, heat exhaustion, fainting, dizziness. Could I please have the details of any of those events that you may have recorded, such as; date, time, severity (were emergency services contacted), which tube line or which station the event occurred and what were the potential causes. I hope you can help me in this matter as it will be of great assistance for my masters dissertation.

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TfL Ref: FOI-0925-1718

Thank you for your email received by us on 18 July 2017 asking for information about heat related passenger incidents in 2016. Please accept our sincere apologies for the delay in responding to you.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. You asked:

“Could I please have a list of all passenger and staff incidents in 2016 that you may be aware of related to heat illness related issues. for example, passengers/staff dehydrated on the tube, heat exhaustion, fainting, dizziness.

Could I please have the details of any of those events that you may have recorded, such as; date, time, severity (were emergency services contacted), which tube line or which station the event occurred and what were the potential causes.”

Please see the attached.  We do not have specific information about the degree to which an illness may have resulted from heat. The information attached is about incidents such as fainting, heat exhaustion etc, and whether an ambulance was requested. Whilst heat may have been a contributory factor in these cases, we cannot say for certain whether heat was the specific cause.

The incidents took place against a backdrop of growing passenger numbers and services with nearly 5 million passenger journeys made per day.

Please note that the information is highly dependent on the observations made by staff dealing with the incident and how they subsequently completed the incident report, and therefore is not necessarily fully accurate. With incidents on tube trains, our priority is, if safe and possible, to remove the person from the train to the platform where they can be more easily treated and services can be kept running.

There are a number of reasons why passengers may be taken ill on the Tube, which could include pre-existing medical conditions, lack of sufficient food or water, alcohol consumption or overheating with layers of clothing during the winter months. We have been working to ensure customers know what steps they can take to minimise the risk of falling ill on the Tube.  This includes carrying water, not boarding a train if they feel unwell and waiting at a station to seek assistance rather than using the passenger alarm. These messages have been incorporated into the Travel Better London campaign to raise awareness of how passengers can help reduce delays and improve the environment for fellow travellers.

On stations staffed and managed by TfL, we comply by the legal requirement to provide adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel, as specified here: http://www.hse.gov.uk/firstaid/legislation.htm. In addition, the majority of stations have staff that are first aid trained, and all of the Customer Services Assistant (CSA) new starters have received Emergency First Aid at Work training.

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely

Sara Thomas

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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