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Openreach: Asset Safety

10 January 2007

Two Motions carried at CWU 2006 Conference concerned Asset Safety in Openreach.

Telecoms Industry Conference 2006 Motion 39 condemned BT plc for its policy of implementing formal discipline procedure in all cases where CWU members had been accused of erecting low drop-wires/aerial cables, despite confusing corporate & 'local' instructions and the fact that it has been accepted by management that the members concerned acted in good faith at the time.

Telecoms Industry Engineering Constituency Conference 2006 Motion 146 concerned the long standing and well known problem of accidents whilst opening the cast iron type Cabinet Cross Connection doors. The motion instructed the Telecoms & Financial Services Executive to negotiate with Openreach to implement a national programme to replace all existing cast iron type Cabinet Cross Connection doors.

It has not yet been possible to expedite the policies with anything like the speed the Union would have wished. Although the service crisis played a part, the main obstacle has been the managerial change of ownership of Asset Assurance in Openreach. The Executive has now met with David Onions and Wes McCabe from the Openreach Plant Safety, Policy and Strategy Unit.

Motion 39: Low drop-wires/aerial cables

The motion is concerned with the rigid application of discipline code. These circumstances generally involve erecting wires over cul-de-sacs, alleyways, driveways and minor private roads. Where these lower dropwires have been erected the objective evidence has appeared to members that there was not a risk. Their interpretation of the guidelines has been overturned by managers, based on a different interpretation of the rules.

The CWU team put forward a view that the dropwire height regulations were based on a perception of high vehicles being 4.2 metres high and the lack of any vehicle width references in the documentation is compounded by the fact the individuals are urged to erect low dropwires where service demands it. In doing so they must submit an A1024, whilst this may have been a sound process in the past, when the A1024 is submitted it may never be acted on because of the different business approach.

All present at the meeting accepted that there needs to be a thorough review of the processes and documentation to ensure a common application of the regulations. It was agreed that, over the next three months, a thorough review of the rules will occur. This will include a number of workshops involving suitably qualified, experienced people from differing backgrounds (i.e. field engineers, auditors, pole testers, planners, surveyors, etc). The CWU will be fully involved throughout. The aim will be to reach, at the end of the review, jointly agreed process and documentation.

Motion 146: Cabinet Cross Connection doors

The terms of the motion were again explained to management. As a precursor to any negotiations on a blanket replacement programme, the relevant data is being collated to scope the problem. Further discussions on this motion will occur shortly.