Driver and Pilot Alertness: Understanding Human Performance and the Contribution of Automation

Honourable Robert L. Sumwalt: Chairman, National Transport Safety Board (NTSB)

Robert Sumwalt is the 14th chairman of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Originally appointed to the NTSB in 2006 by President Bush, he was reappointed by President Obama, and in 2017, appointed as Chairman by President Trump. Since joining the Board, he has been a fierce advocate for improving safety in all modes of transportation. Prior to NTSB, he was an airline pilot for 24 years. He holds a Master of Aeronautical Science (with distinction) with concentrations in aviation/aerospace human factors and safety systems, and he is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Jackie Townsend: Managing Director, Tram Operations Limited

I have 40 years’ experience in the rail industry and am the Managing Director of Tram Operations Ltd. I am responsible for the operation of the tramway including leadership, budget, customers and implementing the recommendations from the Office of Rail Regulator and Rail Accident and Investigation Bureau in respect of the derailment in November 2016. One of the recommendations is about our management of fatigue and within a Just Culture, we have made a significant impact on understanding the effects of fatigue and the causes to include well- being. This is a contract with Transport for London. responsible as the operator of operating the tram service in Croydon..

I have experience in Project Management and was the Project Director for the Crossrail Programme for implementing ETCS on the Western Route for the introduction of the Elizabeth Line to Reading. This is a new signalling system within Network Rail and involves high tech systems to introduce the class 345 fleet onto the Network Led the project team to deliver the business and customer objectives agreed, whilst confirming compliance with appropriate company governance, standards and procedures. 

I was the Project Representative for Crossrail. This role reported to the Joint Sponsor Team which is made up of The Department for Transport and Transport for London to ensure that the project is delivered to time and budget. The main areas of responsibility are to ensure that the railway is effectively handed over to Rail for London in the agreed stages on the new network. This involved working with people at all levels in the organisation and key stakeholders, including Civil Servants, MPs and Councillors. This requires leadership and persuasive skills to ensure that the organisations work collaboratively together to deliver. Also, communication skills were essential.

I have held the position of Deputy Managing Director/ Operations Director for both Virgin trains and First Capital Connect, both positions held budgetary responsibility and significant change management responsibilities and was responsible for operating large train operating companies.

Led teams in Melbourne to bid for the franchises for three train operating companies and two tram companies, to the vital indicative stage of the process. Within the bid implemented introduced a more business focused organisation and negotiated with the Australian rail unions Analysed and evaluated all aspects of current businesses; devised innovative ways increasing income streams and reducing costs, taking into account risk areas. Total value of the bids approximately $1 billion dollars.
Established new range of contacts and opportunities for acquisition, of other transport companies within Australia.

Ann Mills: Head of Health and Safety Management, Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB)

Ann Mills is the professional Head of Health and Safety Management at RSSB. She manages a mixed discipline department of human factors, health and wellbeing, safety management and system safety engineering specialists.  The Health and Safety management department undertakes safety analysis, empirical research, delivers training, develops industry standards, guidance and good practice and provides technical expertise to the rail industry both in GB and Internationally. 

Ann is a safety professional of over twenty-five years’ experience, mostly rail related. She joined RSSB in 2000 as a Human Factors Specialist, before moving to head up the HF department which she built up to a total of 14 professionals with an international reputation. She spent the early part of her career at Cranfield University as a Researcher undertaking aviation safety research for the UK and American Aviation Authorities and Shell.

Ann’s academic background is in Psychology (BA from Coventry) and Applied Psychology (MSc and PhD from Cranfield).

Simon French: Chief Inspector of Rail Accidents, Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB)

Simon French is a graduate of the London School of Economics and joined the railway industry in 1982 as a management trainee.  He held a number of operational posts in British Rail and worked on number of major railway projects including the Channel Tunnel and Heathrow Express.  In 1998 he joined the client organisation for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (now known as HS1) as the Head of Operations and Safety. In 2004 Simon joined the newly formed Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB).  After six years as Deputy, in 2015 he was appointed to the role of Chief Inspector.  The RAIB is the independent body tasked with the investigation of railway accidents in the UK.

Katja Kircher: Senior Research Leader, Human Factors in the Transport System, Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI)

Dr. Katja Kircher works at the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI) in the field of road user attention. She has contributed to and led several national and international projects in the field. Together with her colleague Christer Ahlström, she has made advancements in the field with the driver distraction detection algorithm AttenD and the theory of minimum required attention (MiRA), which have been well received internationally.

David Davies: Executive Director, Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS)

David Davies has a background in transport policy and safety and public sector scrutiny. He has worked in local government and transport consultancies, including five years at the Transport Research Lab. In 2003 he moved to the Audit Commission, and subsequently to the UK Parliament House of Commons Transport Select Committee. He led inquiries into road safety, aviation strategy, HS2, national policy for ports and bus competition. He has been the Executive Director of PACTS since January 2013. He is a member of various Department for Transport advisory committees including the Motorists Forum and Road Safety Delivery Group.

Paul Jackson: Chartered Psychologist, TRL Consultant, Transport Research Laboratory (TRL)

Paul is a Chartered Psychologist who specialises in helping safety-critical organisations to implement fatigue risk management systems. Some of his recent projects include:

• Working on a project to improve bus driver safety, through strategies to manage driver alertness;
• Helping a major energy company to improve the management of fatigue of its workforce;
• Working with the European Commission on the introduction of safety measures into new vehicles, focusing on driver distraction and alertness monitoring systems;
• Developing classroom and online fatigue training programmes for various airlines.

Daryl Hibberd: Senior Human Factors Consultant, Architecture, Engineering, Consulting, Operations, and Maintenance, AECOM

Crispin Orr: Chief Inspector, Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB)

Oliver Carsten: Professor of Transport Safety, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds

Suzy Broadbent: Human Factors Lead, BAE Systems

Lee Skrypchuk: Human Machine Interface Technical Specialist, Jaguar Land Rover

Natasha Merat: Professor of Transport Safety, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds

Dai Whittingham: Chief Executive, UK Flight Safety Committee

Dai Whittingham completed a full career as a pilot in the Royal Air Force, retiring at Air Commodore rank having flown and instructed on basic trainers (Jet Provost) fighters (Phantom) and multi-engine aircraft (E-3D AWACS). He has commanded an E-3D AWACS squadron and the main operating base at RAF Waddington.

Dai joined the UK Flight Safety Committee as its Chief Executive in February 2012.  He is vice-chairman of the Air Transport Advisory Board of the Confidential Human Factors Incident Reporting Programme, chairman of the UK Laser Working Group, and he is active in a wide range of commercial aviation safety bodies in the UK and abroad.