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A new report from the Health & Safety Commission (HSC) calls for a programme of targeted action to reduce the likelihood of accidents caused by vehicles getting on to railway lines.
The report was prepared by a Working Group established by HSC, at the request of the Deputy Prime Minister, to look into the problem of vehicles obstructing railway lines following the incident at Great Heck, near Selby, last February in which 10 people died.
Having examined the low probability of this type of accident and the steps that can be taken to mitigate the risks, the Working Group sets out an agenda for targeted action. Their report makes seven recommendations, which include:
Introducing the report, Richard Clifton, head of the Health & Safety Executive's (HSE's) Railways Directorate and chairman of the Working Group, said:
"Although the report emphasises how rare the sequence of events behind the Great Heck accident were, its consequences demand that a more systematic programme of action be taken to further reduce the risk of a similar accident
"The Working Group looked at the hazards associated with vehicles obstructing railway lines and concluded that the risk, although small in relation to other road and railway risks, is higher at some locations than others. As there are thousands of sites where roads cross or run alongside railways, it is important to adopt a targeted approach, which is proportionate to the risk levels at each site.
"Drawing on initiatives already in place, we propose a series of 'first pass' risk assessments, within the year, to filter out lower risk locations and identify those sites where further safety measures are deemed necessary. This could entail anything from changing road markings to erecting new safety barriers. Action at those sites identified as higher risk should be completed within two years at the latest.
"We also propose that the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR) should lead on establishing a protocol to ensure no misunderstandings or difficulties occur concerning the respective responsibilities of road and rail authorities. This should not be allowed to delay any prospective work."
Endorsing the report, HSC Chair Bill Callaghan said:
"On behalf of the Commission I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the families of those who were killed and those injured at Great Heck. The report recognises the low probability of significant railway accidents caused by vehicles getting onto railway lines. At the same time it is clear that the random nature of such a chance occurrence does not allow for any complacency."
The report, 'Obstruction of the railway by road vehicles' can be downloaded from HSE's website at: htpp://www.hse.gov.uk/railway/obstruct.pdf
Printed copies are available from HSE Books: http://www.hsebooks.com or PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2WA (Tel: 01787 881165/Fax: 01787-313995). ISBN 0 7176 2294 0, price £5.00.
1. The Working Group on the obstruction of the railway by road vehicles was established by HSC at the request of the Deputy Prime Minister following the accident at Great Heck on 28th February 2001. The Group included representatives of the authorities responsible for road and railway safety, the Institution of Civil Engineers and an independent transport safety expert and was chaired initially by Alan Cooksey of HSE's Railway Inspectorate and subsequently by Richard Clifton, Head of HSE's Railways Directorate.
2. The Group's remit was:
To look at the circumstances of incidents where vehicles have blocked railway lines and whether there were features in common that might have been preventable. Details of the Group's membership and terms of reference were announced last year (see HSC press notice C022:01 of 8 May 2001.
3. In parallel, the Highways Agency established a Working Group to review the provision of nearside safety barriers on major roads, whose report is also published today.
Call HSE's InfoLine, tel: 0845 345 0055
or write to: HSE Information Services, Caerphilly Park, Caerphilly
CF83 3GG.
Published on the HSE web site on 26 February 2002