Almost 1000 staff trained to prevent suicides on railways in Scotland
It is part of the "Small Talk Saves Lives" campaign by Samaritans.
Nearly 1000 railway staff in Scotland have been trained to prevent suicides as part of the "Small Talk Saves Lives" campaign by Samaritans.
More than 1 in 5 people in the rail industry now have the skills to identify and help bring vulnerable people to safety.
Influencing manager at Samaritans Scotland told Tay FM: "This training really helps staff to know what to do if they see someone in distress.
"Everyone acts differently when they are struggling to cope, but really the message to staff is to trust their instinct and approach someone who could do with a friendly face.
"Making chat about the weather as we tend to do in Scotland can interrupt someone's suicidal thoughts and bring them to safety."
Feedback from rail workers who have completed the training course show that they feel comfortable offering support to someone in need.
Samaritans Head of Rail Programme Olivia Cayley said: “We know the pandemic has had a huge impact on the nation’s mental health and that will be felt for a long time – but suicide is preventable, and the public can help too.
"We hope it’s comforting to know that rail staff and British Transport Police are out there to help, but we want to urge people to keep their eyes peeled, trust their instincts, and start a conversation.
“You won’t make the situation worse and saying something is better than nothing at all - a simple question can be enough to interrupt someone’s suicidal thoughts and save a life.”