 Where do you draw the line?
Ray Murphy wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> As we all know, railway staff, like any employees have an obligation
> to follow the rules and be careful with their employer's property and
> money, but is there a point where common sense should take precedence
> over rules?
>
> The reason I ask is because these two things never seemed right.
> The first was back in the late 60's when I got off a train as an
> ordinary passenger in Ballarat and as I was walking off the platform a
> Victorian Police detective politely asked the SM if he would give the
> local police a call and let them know he had arrived. To my surprise
> and presumably to his as well, the SM officiously informed him that he
> couldn't use a railway for non-railway business.
In this instance, why should the inspector be treated any differently to
any member of the public? If there were several passenger who got off
the train, should they have formed a queue while the SM rang their
respective contacts for a lift? The taxi(s) outside would not be impressed.
Directions to the pay phone could of been a suitable response. Obviously
the guy was after a lift to the police station. Of course mobile phones
have changed this.
>
> I was thinking that surely in the larger scheme of things it ~was~
> railway business to be courteous and helpful to employees of another
> government department, particularly when miniscule cost is involved,
> and moreso in the case of police who risk life and limb for the
> railways, including all the time they are not officially on duty.
But he was not on official duty, he was just merely wanting to arrange a
lift. Have you considered that the SM might of just received a parking
ticket or similar and not been in the best of moods.
>
> The other case was also at Ballarat years later. I read about it in a
> newspaper, where there was a train derailment at a level crossing
> near the station. From waht I recall the SM refused to open the
> Cafeteria for the distressed and bruised passengers who had been
> guided to the station by staff on foot.
>
> My thought at the time was - if I was in charge at Ballarat I'd have
> thrown the Cafeteria open at no cost to the passengers and looked
> after them while they waited for alternative transport, then tallied
> the cost and arranged for head office to fix it. Surely such a thing
> could only be viewed as nominal compensation for people who
> would never be suing the railways for any sort of damages.
>
> What would you have done if you had been in charge?
>
Food handling standards are much different now, so if someone got sick
as a result, the railways could be sued.
Organisations like CFA can only give members food from food handling
compliant premises now. However well intended, publicly donated food is
officially unacceptable.
But back in your day, tea & coffee might of been an idea, but certainly
not open slather, it really depends on severity of accident. If a major
incident then the cafeteria could make a suitable temporary clinic.
Kevin Martin
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