RED 71 on trackside workers: The interviews
Nick Edwards, Senior Operations and Standards Lead at DB Cargo and himself a former driver, speaks of the camaraderie conveyed when a trackside worker acknowledges the presence of a driver, and vice versa. But there is a serious safety element to that horn sound and the raising of the hand that follows. It is about understanding the location of the train in relation to the person on the ground—two things that should never come into conflict.
Scott Meachan, a Controller of Site Safety with VolkerRail, describes the nature of trackside work, while Volker’s HSQES director Stuart Webster-Spriggs discusses the risks around it.
The Rail Delivery Group’s Rupert Bickham looks back to the driver, noting the importance of understanding the ‘swept envelope’, which refers to the actual space a train occupies, including the air it displaces. He also notes the importance of the warning horn, and being able to distinguish which train is making it, and therefore which line it’s running on. RSSB’s Gerald Riley describes recent Rule Book changes in this area.
Emrys Warriner, Senior Programme Manager with Network Rail, points to the recent technological developments that will help reduce the risks associated with track work.
And the drama?
RED 71’s dramatisation portrays an incident in which a member of staff moves onto a line open to traffic. There are issues of distraction, of a loss of situational awareness, and of the protection levels employed. Watch the trailer.
As with any incident, there is always more than one cause. Our briefing notes list some the things that went wrong, but when you watch the film, try making your own list and discuss it with those you work with.
As Rupert flags, it is important that drivers and track workers have ‘a mutual understanding of each other’s activities’. That’s true of us all, whatever we do.
