Occupational health and safety
Providing a safer, healthier, and better work environment for the members of our workforce
For the first time since 2015/16, there were no workforce fatalities during the year. However, the number of specified injuries to members of the workforce on or about the running line increased compared to last year. This chapter covers key cross-industry issues and provides in-depth sector analysis for infrastructure operations. More information about members of staff injured in stations and on trains can be found in the Passenger Operations and Passenger and Staff Assaults chapters. Detail on the harm to staff during freight operations can be found in the Freight Safety chapter.
Near misses between track workers and trains remain near record minimums. This follows the near elimination of unassisted lookout working across the industry. Despite this, they do still occur. With around two per period recorded in 2023/24 (see figure 6). Near misses at Euxton junction and between Totnes and Newton Abbot will be investigated by RAIB, which will publish safety digests into both.
Despite the low numbers of near misses, our regular monitoring has identified an increase in operating incidents relating to line blockages and possessions. Particularly, incidents of protection incorrectly located or not placed. It might be expected for incidents like this to have increased as more work is moved to safer protection methods. But there remains a lack of industry-wide normalising data on the volume of work undertaken using various protection methods. This limits our ability to draw safety insights from any increase or decrease in these metrics.
The safe management of plant in possessions has also been a focus this year. Incidents such as the collision between a road-rail vehicle (RRV) and a trolley near Brading and collisions between on-track machines near Strood highlight the need to safely manage plant and machines. RSSB analysis found that the number of operating incidents and derailments involving plant, on track machines, and RRVs had remained stable over the past five years (see figure 7). The number of collisions had reduced from ten in 2019/20 to five this year. However, when they do occur, they can cause serious injuries.
Maintaining the railway can also impact operational safety. This was demonstrated by the derailment of a passenger train at Walton-on-Thames resulting from the train striking a piece of redundant rail. RSSB have been supporting the industry to understand the causes of objects left on the line. And to help us understand how events like this can be prevented in the future.
Depots are an often-forgotten part of the network but make up a significant portion of the risk to members of the workforce. The year 2023/24 was the third in a row in which no depot workforce fatalities were recorded. But serious injuries still occur. This was illustrated by the member of staff being struck by a train at St Philips Marsh depot which will be investigated by RAIB.
Work-related driving is critical to the rail industry. It ensures that rail staff can get where they are needed, to maintain and operate Great Britain’s railway. There were no fatalities due to work-related driving in 2023/24. However, in May 2024, there was a work-related road traffic accident where a member of the workforce was fatally injured. This will be included in next year’s report.
In 2023/24, there were 67 collisions involving road vehicles that resulted in injuries to members of the workforce. This is 19 fewer injuries than last year, and the lowest level of harm to members of the workforce involved in road vehicles collisions in over five years. But, as the fatal accident in May 2024 demonstrates, for many of these incidents it will be purely chance that they didn’t cause more serious injuries or a fatality.
