Two game-changing standards updates that will save industry almost £4 million
Get the inside stories about driver cab design and derailment risk.
June’s update to the Standards Catalogue will publish changes from six projects. Just two of those are expected to save industry almost £4 million. The first revises the standard for driving cabs. It will benefit industry by roughly £800k by refining the standards for cab design, reducing costs, and improving safety for drivers. The second, looks at permissible track forces and derailment risk. It’s expected to save £3 million. It clarifies the offset load test requirement for vehicles carrying intermodal load units. Also, it gives guidance on different loading scenarios.
The standards for cab design were inconsistent and costing money in delay minutes. Answering direct requests from industry, this update addresses requirements and guidance for driver cab design.
Some parts of driver cab design were found to contribute to musculoskeletal injuries and delays in service. These included the driver’s safety device foot pedal slips, station over runs, and stop short door release incidents. A lack of visibility through side glazing was also found to be an issue. Passenger operators, industry human factors experts, suppliers, trade union representative and the ORR all contributed to improving this standard.
The improvements to the standard include:
alarms and alerts
space in the driving cab
visibility out of the side of the cab for drivers
thermal comfort including air conditioning
cab access lighting
driver's safety devices
in-cab amenities.
These changes will positively impact on the health, safety, and performance of drivers and the railway industry. We estimate the total value to be £830,350 over five years.
In December 2019, a requirement was introduced to manage derailment risk. It addressed offset load assessment for vehicles carrying intermodal load units. After operational experience, and with input from industry users, this month’s revision clarifies the details of that requirement. It also gives more options for cases where the axle load limits prevent full compliance.
A practical new diagram maps the routes through the testing process. The updated Guidance Note gives examples of checking the worst-case loading scenarios to assist users.
We estimate that the updates to this standard, informed by work with industry and our own research, will save GB Rail around £3 million.
Find out more about the latest updates to standards.
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