Workforce health and safety

ORR’s legal duties & expectations of rail industry employers in Great Britain regarding violence and harassment of rail workers

Violence and harassment against workers are serious issues across Great Britain’s railways. Over 8,000 incidents of work-related violence (WRV) against mainline railway workers were recorded in 2024/25. Incidences of violence like assault and other aggressive or hostile behaviour can happen to anyone working on the railway, especially frontline railway staff. As the health and safety regulator for the railway, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) have legal powers to protect the health and safety of workers, and we set out our expectations for employers below.

ORR works closely with the Rail Delivery Group, Trade Unions and others to raise awareness of employers’ obligations to protect their staff from violence and harassment. Criminal enforcement after an incident is part of the British Transport Police (BTP) or other law enforcement authorities’ duties. Employers should work closely with BTP to secure justice, but employers must go beyond this to fulfil their health and safety duties by regularly reviewing their risk assessments and control measures. ORR supports the cross-industry work to achieve the goals of the UK Rail Industry Work Related Violence Strategy 2026-2028, including through the Industry Work-Related Violence Group.

What ORR expects employers to do

• Identify and assess risks: For example, identify higher-risk roles / locations / ways of working / triggers etc. and assess the risks (including the psychosocial / trauma impacts). Consider any specific risks for people with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 and employers’ duty to prevent sexual harassment.
• Control risks: Implement proportionate, evidence-led controls. These could be a range of approaches including training and support for frontline staff (e.g. de-escalation techniques, reporting arrangements), supervision, passenger behaviour management and use of technology.
• Lead & govern: Ensure senior leadership oversight and integration of violence risks into strategic and operational planning, with a focus on prevention. A long-term commitment to current (and future staff) feeling safe at work by reducing the number of incidents year on year.
• Report & learn: Encourage and support staff to report all WRV incidents. Make reporting easy and accessible to improve data collection and inform risk assessment and future learning, with a goal of an overall enhanced culture of reporting and continuous improvement. Report incidents as RIDDOR where applicable.
• Support staff: Through post-incident care (which may include job changes, trauma-informed support or counselling).
• Collaborate: Employers are encouraged to collaborate closely with unions and industry bodies to tackle issues together, share learning and work towards eliminating work-related violence on the railway  

ORR’s powers

ORR expects employers to assess and manage the risks to staff from violence and harassment. We will hold employers to account for the risk assessment, controls and other decisions they make.

The following regulations, laws and cross-government strategies are all relevant to managing this risk:

• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974: protect health, safety & welfare so far as reasonably practicable; treat violence as a foreseeable occupational risk.
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999: suitable and sufficient assessment/management of work-related violence risks; preventive & protective measures (training, hazards info, supervision).
• Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 2013: record/report relevant violent incidents involving injury (or other reportable outcomes) where reportability criteria are met.
• Equality Act 2010: take reasonable steps to prevent harassment/discrimination related to protected characteristics and prevent third party sexual harassment.
• Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations and Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations: duty to consult workers or their representatives on H&S.

What are we doing?

In the year 2026 to 2027, our health and safety inspectors will:

• Check that railway duty-holders’ are managing the risk of work-related violence and harassment when we carry out routine inspections and liaison activities (and we may take action if we are not satisfied);
• Work closely with the Department for Transport and other industry organisations to identify opportunities to improve the current situation;
• Engage with existing industry initiatives and with the trades unions;
• Improve railway duty-holders understanding that work related violence and harassment is both a health and safety risk as well as a police and security matter.