TRACK WORKER ACCIDENTS SOAR

www.rmt.org.uk :: february 2006 :: RMTnews 11 I n a submission to the 1876 Royal Commission Inquiry into railway accidents it was stated “railway companies maintain that in about 90 per cent of fatal accidents to their servants the men fall victim to their own misconduct or imprudence, and that the remaining cases are due to the legitimate risks inseparable from their employment”. Unfortunately, recent statements by some employers suggest that companies still seek to blame their employees, whereas a closer examination of the facts shows underlying organisational and management failures had a heavy influence on many of the events. CURRENT PERFORMANCE Trackside Fatalities by Year Trackside Major Injuries by Year The above chart clearly shows the current safety performance is unacceptable. The number killed in 2004 was the highest since 1991, and last year showed little sign of improvement. In terms of major injuries, again 2004 was a particularly bad year, but again it can be seen that at best the number of such injuries last year merely saw a return to what was already a higher level of occurrences than the early 1990’s. Per 100,000 employed, the current safety performance firmly places track workers into the category of most dangerous occupations in the country. PLANNING Many of the accidents in the past few years showed planning failures of one sort or another. Whilst Network Rail have are looking at how the quality of method statements can be improved, some of the accidents have shown the issues to be much deeper than this, and often go further back into the planning process. There is also the question as to whether there is now a need for a national competency and assessment standard for those involved in planning activities, in the same way as they apply to other safety critical tasks. RULES The current possession rules are based on 20th century working (small worksites, one engineers train). What we often now have are numerous large worksites within possessions stretching for miles, multiple activities within each worksite, and numerous road/railers running around in what is often termed a ‘Green Zone’. RMT demand that there is now an urgent need to stop tinkering with the current rules, which is frequently more about wanting to enhance performance rather than safety. Instead, there should be a fundamental review that considers the type and method of work needed, the safety risks involved, and the measures needed to control those risks. ROAD/RAIL VEHICLES It is now two years since the Tebay accident, but there are still too many uncontrolled dangers arising from the use of road/rail vehicles. Besides inadequate operating rules, there are also outstanding design standard issues. The proposed replacement of the design standard will address some of these, but the changes will take seven years to achieve full effect. What is to be done in the meantime about those risks? INDUSTRY IMPROVEMENT PLAN A lot of the problems causing many of the workforce fatal accidents are recognised by various people, and this is reflected in the 50 odd individual initiatives/trials involving new methods of working that are taking place throughout the country. But they are all uncoordinated and lack any central direction. As a result, past experience has shown such initiatives often disappear and the learning lost as soon as the sponsor moves on. What is clearly needed is one industry improvement plan that takes in all the above issues, with time based milestones. It is essential that it also has top-level buy-in, and the necessary resources allocated to deliver the required outputs. In the many meetings we have had with Network Rail over the past two years, we have been promised such a plan on many occasions, but so far they have failed to deliver. Track worker accidents soar brought, not against Carillion themselves, but against their contractors who supplied and operated the trailer,”he said. TRIAL The trial of the contractors is currently in progress. Mark Connolly from Anglesey and Roy Kennett from Maidstone, Kent, face four counts of manslaughter, which they deny. The trial commenced at Newcastle Crown Court on January 17 and is expected to last up to eight weeks. Robert Smith QC, prosecuting, told the court that Connolly was the boss of MAC Machinery Services. He had driven a low loader truck with a railway crane and two trailers to Scout Green on the West Coast Main Line to remove old track. Shortly before 0600, Kennet, who worked for Connolly, began lifting steel off the trailers. He had placed wooden ‘chocs’ under the wheels but as he began to unload, the trailer rolled away. The three tonne trailer, laden with 16 tonnes of steel, travelled down a one in seven gradient for four miles before hitting the victims at 40 mph. Mr Smith alleged that Connolly had deliberately disconnected the brakes on the trailers because the hydraulic systems were in such a poor state of repair that they would not work properly with the crane. “Ray Kennett, say the prosecution, knew what Mark Connolly had done to the brakes because he confessed to another member of staff that ball bearings had been placed in the hydraulics,” he said. The prosecution say that this had been done to give the appearance of pressure in the pipes if the machinery was subjected to an inspection. The trial continues. RIAL