Dear Sir or Madam I’m writing to Transport for London under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, could you please provide the following information per year and as a CSV file: The number of “Person Under a Train” incidents that occurred on the London underground between 2015 - 2018? Please also break down the results per tube line. The number of tube drivers that took sick leave after being involved in a “Person Under a Train” incident between 2015 - 2018? The total number of days tube drives took off as sick leave after being involved in a “Person Under a Train” incident between 2015 - 2018? The total number of drivers that were on sick leave/not fit for work for more than 6 months after being involved in a “Person Under a Train” incident between 2015 - 2018? Does TFL have a recommended amount of paid sick leave for tube drivers after being involved in a “Person Under a Train” incident? If yes, how many days? Again I would like this information provided to me per year and as a CSV file if possible, thank you. If this request is too wide or unclear, I would be grateful if you could contact me as I understand that under the Act, you are required to advise and assist requesters. If any of this information is already in the public domain, please can you direct me to it, with page references and URLs if necessary. I understand that you are required to respond to my request within the 20 working days after you receive this letter. I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this request. I look forward to hearing from you.

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Our Ref:          FOI-2333-1819

Thank you for your request received on 4 December 2018 asking for information about person under train (PUT) incidents.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm we hold some of the information you require.

The Tube supports nearly 5 million passenger journeys per day, and up to 1.36bn journeys were made in 2017/18 on the Tube. The safety of our staff and customers is our top priority and the Tube is recognised as one of the safest metros around the world. PUT figures include suicide attempts and people who have accidentally fallen onto the tracks or who have gone onto the tracks to retrieve items such as phones.

The well-being of our staff is one of our top priorities, and when a PUT incident (and occasionally a near miss) occurs, those observing the incident will understandably be affected and may display physical and/or emotional reactions. The reaction will be unique to each individual and our support mechanisms are designed to take this into account. Support is offered immediately to reassure and normalise the sense of what has occurred. Treatment may involve Occupational Health; the employee’s GP; the London Underground Trauma Support Group or our Employee Helpline.

The following support is provided by TfL / LU:

• Within London Underground, we have an established Trauma Support Group which is a network of 140 volunteers who are front line operational staff trained and supervised to provide support to individuals affected by an incident – local managers trigger this local support quickly after the incident
• We have an in-house team of nine counsellors specialised in working with trauma who will advise managers and support referred individuals. At an appropriate point in time, a formal assessment is undertaken to determine the employee’s reaction and to plan treatment
• Family of staff affected by trauma may find the employee’s reaction stressful and we have a 24 hour helpline as an extension of our ‘Employee Assistance Programme’ which is open to families of employees
• Staff may also call the helpline number directly. Calls are answered by experienced counsellors. Where trauma is indicated the helpline will offer a referral to our in-house Counselling and Trauma Services
• New to role managers usually spend a day at an Occupational Health training session which covers counselling and trauma. It is recognised however that many managers will not need to make a referral for trauma during their entire career

You asked for:

The number of “Person Under a Train” incidents that occurred on the London underground between 2015 - 2018? Please also break down the results per tube line.  

Line Calendar Year 
 2015 2016 2017 2018* Total
Bakerloo 2 3 2 2 9
Central 9 16 18 9 52
Circle 1 0 4 1 6
District 3 5 2 4 14
Hammersmith & City 0 1 1 3 5
Jubilee 3 3 2 7 15
Metropolitan 3 4 2 3 12
Northern 11 10 15 10 46
Piccadilly 7 3 11 8 29
Victoria 7 6 8 10 31
Total 46 51 65 57 219
*Up to end of November 2018.

Please note that the data excludes incidents with trespassers on the track and incidents at the Platform/Train Interface.

The number of tube drivers that took sick leave after being involved in a “Person Under a Train” incident between 2015 - 2018?

178 train operators took sick leave following a PUT incident.

The total number of days tube drives took off as sick leave after being involved in a “Person Under a Train” incident between 2015 - 2018?

A total of 14,929 days were taken as sick leave following a PUT incident.

The total number of drivers that were on sick leave/not fit for work for more than 6 months after being involved in a “Person Under a Train” incident between 2015 - 2018?

There are a total of six train operators who were on sick leave/unable to work for more than six months following a PUT incident. One in 2015, two in 2016, and three in 2017. There have been none to date in 2018.

Does TFL have a recommended amount of paid sick leave for tube drivers after being involved in a “Person Under a Train” incident? If yes, how many days?

There is no recommended sick pay amount for train operators following these incidents.

If this is not the information you are looking for please feel free to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Gemma Jacob
Senior FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London

[email protected]

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