Safety roundup
Risks your safety team should be thinking about
Our three recommendations in December
Slips, trips, and falls top the list this month. They can be costly, with thousands paid out in compensation to passengers over the years. But they’ve also led to the loss of life, and no amount of money can bring someone back from a fatal accident. Near misses involving track workers and trap and drag incidents feature too, as reports indicate that there’s still more to be done in these areas.
Slips, trips, and falls are among the most common causes of accidents in stations. And such accidents can be fatal. For some readers, the name Priscilla Tropp might ring a bell. The 76-year-old tragically died after a fall at Mill Hill Broadway station in November 2018. Might it be worth revisiting your safety management systems to ensure processes are in place to prevent such accidents and support injured passengers in the event of them being involved in one?
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Last spring, a track worker was struck by a train near Chalfont & Latimer station, Buckinghamshire. A few months later, two track workers were almost hit by a train while working close to Penkridge station, Staffordshire. The 56th episode of our RED safety video series—about close calls and near misses—covers some of the topics highlighted in RAIB’s reports on these incidents, including safe systems of work. Share it with your safety leads and frontline colleagues, especially track workers.
Trap and drag incidents, while rare, still occur. Earlier this year, two passengers sustained injuries at London Underground stations when they were dragged along the platform after their coats became trapped in the train doors. We’ve revisited this risk over the years, always keen to share our insights on the causes with industry—as obvious as they may at times seem. For those who want to understand the causes, in order to prevent incidents, our T1102 research project will prove informative.
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