HSE publishes rail safety statistics 2001/02"

HSE Press Release E184:02 - 30 September 2002

"Provisional railway safety statistics for the year ending 31 March 2002 show a welcome continued reduction in a number of key safety indicators," the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said today.

The number of reported fatalities, train incidents, significant incidents (those with the potential to cause most harm to passengers) collisions and derailments all fell during this period.

Positive trends reported in HSE's 'Railway Safety Statistics Bulletin 2001/02', published today, include:

• Fatalities (excluding trespassers and suicides) fell by 18 per cent, from 39 to 32 - the lowest figure for five years;
• Total reported train incidents fell from 1,801 to 1,709 (down five per cent and the lowest for six years);
• significant incidents on Railtrack infrastructure fell from 72 to 56;
• collisions fell from 106 to 101;
• derailments from 93 to 85; and
• broken rails by 23 per cent from 729 to 561.

There was also a marked decrease in reports of violence to railway industry staff - down by 24 per cent from last year.

This year's Bulletin includes provisional data on the primary causes of train incidents. As in previous years, the main cause in 2001/02 was vandalism. Of the 1,709 recorded incidents, 911 (53 per cent) were due to by malicious action. The majority of these were arson attacks on trains and missile damage to windows. Although train incidents due to vandalism reduced by two per cent on 2000/01 figures, they are still very high.

Presenting the statistics, Allan Sefton, acting head of Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate (HMRI), said:

"Overall, the railways have an improving safety record and the industry should be pleased with the progress that took place last year. However, there is no room for complacency and continued effort will be needed to maintain the rate of improvement. The figures do not take account of the derailment at Potters Bar in May, in which seven people died.

"I am also concerned by a worrying rise in track worker fatalities - at four double the previous year's total. There remains a clear need for the rail industry to deal with acknowledged areas of weakness in controlling risks. The industry must endeavour to reverse trends and I am encouraged by their current efforts for improvement in areas such as the effective management of contractors on the railway infrastructure."

In Scotland the most notable figures were a fall in derailments from 16 to 4 and the decrease in fires on trains from 36 to 25. One passenger died when they fell between the train and platform edge at Gourock station. A decrease from 24 to 15 in trespasser deaths included six acts of suicide.

For the fourth year in succession, no passengers or railway staff were killed in Wales, although ten people died on the railways (down three on the previous year). Nine trespassers were killed (including three confirmed suicides) and a pedestrian was fatally injured by a train while using a level crossing in Carmarthenshire. The one collision recorded was a container door on a freight train striking a bridge at Newport East.

The latest Bulletin also shows that HMRI issued a record number (128) of enforcement notices and took 15 successful prosecutions, resulting in fines of more than £500,000. This results from an increase in the number of inspectors in HMRI's Operations Division and improved enforcement consistency as a result of training in, and the adoption of, HSE's Enforcement Management Model to implement the Health and Safety Commission's Enforcement Policy Statement.

Dr Sefton said:

"HSE expects the industry to deliver on safety and those who do not can expect us to take tough action. The continued downward trend in significant train incidents is positive, but an industry culture which demands continuous improvement is essential if it is to convince the public that world class safety standards are being delivered on the rail network."

Railway Safety Statistics Bulletin 2001/02, is available on the HSE website at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/railway/rsb0102.pdf

Notes to editors

The figures in today's Statistics Bulletin are provisional until the Railway Safety Annual Report 2001/02 is published towards the end of the year. The figures are produced under the Reporting of injuries, Disease and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR). They cover the period 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2002 and include all railways and tramways in England, Scotland and Wales.

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