🔍 Every incident tells a story. Are you learning the right lessons? Our independent investigations help organisations uncover root causes and take action that really makes a difference.

🚆 Supporting our clients with independent investigations has never been more impactful.

By bringing an impartial, external perspective, we uncover the causal factors, deliver actionable recommendations, and strengthen safety across the organisation. Our clients tell us it not only ensures thorough, compliant investigations but through us working closely with their teams, the learning is taken directly in to their day-to-day operations.

Every investigation is an opportunity to learn, improve, and prevent future incidents, and that’s exactly what we help organisations achieve.

Click here to find out more about how we can support you with your investigations.

As we settle into 2026, we’re buzzing with excitement about what’s ahead. Last year was a huge success for us, delivering our IOSH approved rail incident investigation course to so many of our returning and new customers, and we’re pleased with the momentum it’s created across the industry.  Now, we’re ready to take things even further to enhance the learning experience.  We’ll be sharing more on that over the coming weeks!

Our IOSH approved rail incident investigation course dates for 2026 are officially live, and we’ll be adding more details and locations to our website very soon. It’s shaping up to be an exciting year of growth, learning, and continuing to support safer, more effective investigations.

We’re also incredibly proud to still be the UK’s only provider of this type of IOSH approved rail specific investigation training course. For us, it’s all about helping people see investigations not as a box ticking exercise, but as a genuine chance to learn, improve, and prevent future harm. Whether you’re completely new to investigations or already handling complex investigations, our course is designed to give you the confidence, tools, and structure you need to carry out solid, meaningful investigations in the rail environment.

You can find more info about what the course covers here. Alternatively, drop us an email, we’ll be more than happy to have a chat with you!

Our latest IOSH-approved Rail Incident Investigation course wrapped up in Tunbridge Wells last week on a real high, with 100% of delegates successfully passing their final assessment.

We were proud to host professionals from our returning customers Network Rail, GTR (Govia Thameslink Railway), and VolkerFitzpatrick, all taking part in this highly immersive and practical training experience.

A huge thank you to Rainy Days Hub for providing outstanding role-play actors that brought the scenarios to life, and to Spa Valley Railway for the use of their track facilities. Their support is what allows us to deliver realistic, engaging, and industry-leading training, and we simply couldn’t do it without them.

Another successful course completed, and another group of investigators better equipped to make the railway safer.

As 2025 draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to pause and reflect on what we’ve achieved at T&A Safety Services, and what a remarkable year it’s been!

We are incredibly proud that we’ve:

• Successfully up-skilled investigators, strengthening how investigations are conducted and ensuring effective and meaningful learning that ultimately supports workforce safety.
• Connected with like-minded professionals who share our passion for learning and improvement.
• Welcomed returning customers, a true testament to the value and impact of the training we provide.
• Supported small businesses and charities to help deliver our work, including collaborating with some amazing people and organisations across the railway network.
• Continued our role as independent investigators, providing our clients with confidence, objectivity, and assurance.
• Helped self-funding delegates make training more accessible by spreading the cost of their training, so they didn’t miss out on professional or personal development.
• Expanded our course offering with the launch of our IOSH approved First Responders course, equipping our learners with the skills to manage the initial stages of incidents and support investigations.
• Worked with an incredibly diverse range of attendees from across the rail industry.
• Maintained our position as the only IOSH approved rail specific investigation course provider.

None of this would have been possible without the support, collaboration and trust of Michelle Barber, Mandy Disney, Rainy Days Hub, our clients and delegates, so a huge thank you to you all!

With 2026 on the horizon, we’re excited to build on this momentum and continue to drive safety, effective learning and continued improvement across the industry.

We had the pleasure of attending the Harrogate Rail Infrastructure Networking (RIN) event last month, the UK’s largest rail infrastructure trade show, organised by Jobson James Rail, where it was great to reconnect with familiar faces and also meet new businesses from across the industry.  The conversations genuinely highlighted the strength and collaboration within the rail industry.

Networking isn’t just about swapping business cards or adding contacts on LinkedIn. There’s something energising about walking into a room full of strangers and leaving with new connections, fresh ideas, and even a few laughs. It was a great reminder that when you show genuine interest in people, good conversations happen naturally.

A huge thanks to everyone we met. We’re already looking forward to the next networking event.

If you’re interested in attending a future RIN event, then more details can be found by visiting their website at https://www.rinevents.co.uk/

Just a little something we wanted to share with you from the book ‘Atomic Habits’, written by James Clear.  We were interested to know about what he had to say about making optimal plans to see change. We were also interested in what he had to say about what he termed, ‘being in motion’ and ‘taking action’. In turns out that the two are very different!

When in motion, you’re planning, strategising and learning, and we’ve all done that in meetings, steering groups and consultations haven’t we, working out how we can improve or make a difference… however, at T&A Safety Services, we think that anyone reading this would agree that this does not achieve an outcome. Why? Because you need to take action to get to the results that you want to achieve. So, whilst James Clears’ book is about habit forming, it occurred to us that this can also apply to how you undertake the analysis in your investigations…. 🕵️‍♀️💭

Why, we hear you say!? Well, James Clear says that when you want to make a change, you should start with repetition and not perfection. For us, what that means is if you practice what you have learned, and ‘get your reps in’, you’ll achieve the results that you want in the end. He goes on to say ‘the more you repeat an activity the more the structure of your brain becomes more efficient at that activity ‘…. 💡

You may be wondering where this is going… and here it is…. T&A Safety Services are thinking about the analysis methods that we teach in our IOSH approved incident investigation courses. The analysis techniques we teach are new to most of the people who have attended our courses, but what we stress is that they must practise their new skills after the course….. practise, practise, practise…. and get better at the analysis to get to root cause.

Let’s put this into context. Most of us have taken our driving test after lots of theory and practical tests.  Then we get handed a set of keys to our first car, and this is where the action kicks in, that James Clear is talking about. We go on to practise our new driving skills and (most of us😉) get better at it.  Gear changes become smoother, we stop stalling, we stay in our lane…… and that is what we encourage all our delegates to do once they complete our training course. Go back to the workplace, and if you can’t undertake an investigation, because let’s face it, you have to wait for something bad to happen to do that, why not practice your new analysis skills on understanding things such as why your project wasn’t as successful this time, or why a process keeps failing and you can’t understand why.

The techniques we teach can be applied to so many areas of your work and to practise them in this way ensures that when you do need to use them in your investigation you have honed your analysis skills and YOU WILL NOT FAIL ✅

If you keep doing your reps 🏋️‍♀️ you’re activating the action that will enhance your learning from our investigation courses, and this is the learning curve that we all want to achieve. Make it easier for yourself…. put in the practise and take action 🕵️‍♀️📈💡

If you want to know more, we are running our next courses in September and November. You can find more details here https://tasafetyservices.com/our-services/rail-incident-investigation-training or email us at training@tasafetyservices.com

We are pleased to announce that we have two more rail incident investigation training courses taking place this year.   This is your chance to follow in the footsteps of previous delegates and earn an IOSH certificate in Rail Incident Investigation, which will make you stand out from the competition.

Attending our training courses can offer a wide range of benefits, both professionally and personally. Here are some key advantages:

Professional Benefits

Skill Enhancement
Acquire new skills or improve existing ones, making you more proficient in your role and receive an IOSH certification that is recognised globally.

Increased Productivity
Improved skills and knowledge can lead to more efficient investigation processes and better performance.

Networking Opportunities
Our courses provide a platform for you to meet and connect with other like-minded professionals that can lead to new collaborations, and professional support systems.

Personal Benefits

Increased Confidence
Mastering new skills can boost self-confidence and job satisfaction and make you feel more competent and assured.

Personal Growth
We will help you to enhance your personal development, such as leadership, communication, and teamwork skills.

Enhanced Problem-Solving Skills
Our training focuses on critical thinking and problem-solving. These skills will help you to approach your investigations more effectively.

Adaptability
Our training equips individuals with the knowledge to adapt to changes in the work environment or industry.

Organisational Benefits

Improved Employee Performance
Well-trained employees perform tasks more efficiently and effectively, leading to better overall organisational performance.

Employee Retention
Offering training opportunities to staff, can improve job satisfaction and loyalty, reducing turnover rates, because employees feel valued when their professional development is prioritised.

Compliance and Risk Management
The rail industry has regulations and standards that must be adhered to; our training courses ensure employees understand and comply with these requirements.  This can reduce legal risks and enhance organisational reputation.

Overall, attending our training courses can be a valuable investment for individuals seeking to enhance their skills and career prospects, as well as for organisations aiming to improve performance and retain top talent.

Find out more by emailing us here or you can book on our next training course here.

T&A Safety Services are reflecting on another successful week when we recently had the pleasure of delivering the IOSH approved Incident Investigation in the Railway course for our valued client, VolkerRail Limited.

Over five days, we equipped their cohort with the analytical tools to improve their investigations and write effective corrective actions. We took them through an immersive practical trackside accident scenario, and gave them the opportunity to practise their interview skills with actors. We also steered them through an exercise for writing all their findings into an investigation report, giving them the confidence to take all of their learning back into the workplace. Following the course, we carried out a peer review of their investigation reports and gave 1-2-1 feedback to all delegates, ensuring that the learning was embedded and identifying any areas for improvement.

We have been working with VolkerRail for several years now, training many of their staff, at all levels within the organisation, across several disciplines. If you would like to find out more about how we can support you in a training programme that will help your organisation improve the outputs from investigations, and ensure safety improvements, then you can contact us here.

It was an honour to be invited to take part in a recent collaboration between ISLG, RSSB and the University of Portsmouth who held a workshop session at The Helicon in London, to help us link past and present, through learning from past accidents and incidents.

Read below, the words shared by Stuart Webster-Spriggs, HSQES Director of VolkerRail and current chair of ISLG.

“Whilst today’s rail industry has an excellent workforce safety record, sadly near misses and incidents do still occur. Upon investigation, it is sometimes found that similar cases have happened before – so how can we make use of those cases to help improve the present?
A collaboration between ISLG, RSSB and the University of Portsmouth saw a workshop session held at The Helicon to help us link past and present through learning from the past.

Guided by Greg Morse (RSSB), Mike Esbester (Railway Work, Life & Death project/ University of Portsmouth) and Stuart Webster-Spriggs (ISLG), and drawing on the experience and insights from invited attendees that included Heads of Health & Safety, Human Factors Specialists and Rail Investigators, we examined 7 cases from 1901 through to 1931 of railway worker incidents which have parallels or implications for current practice. We collectively assessed what happened in those cases and what similarities they have to present day issues (Margam, management of change, fatigue to name but a few!).

Whilst personal responsibility featured heavily as you would expect, we successfully identified the organisational accountabilities of planning and management to be the root causes in many of the cases. This drove the resulting learning points from the past with the intention of influencing current safety practices and challenging accepted norms which could be argued have had little effect on safety improvements in 100 years!

Look out for a future publication where the details will be shared and challenges to industry made…….”