The safety of Australia’s rail workers is under examination following the launch of a systemic safety investigation by Australia’s national transport safety investigator, the ATSB.
To take around 12 months to complete, the safety issues investigation has been prompted by continuing reports of accidents and incidents that occurred while maintenance work was being undertaken on or near railway tracks.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Martin Dolan said these ongoing incidents hint at broader safety issues that continue to raise risks for rail track workers.
“Through the ATSB’s SafetyWatch initiative, we have been urging industry to give heightened attention to rail worker safety over the past several years,” Mr Dolan said.
“While many operators are continuing to improve the safety of their workers, the ATSB remains concerned about the continuing number of reported incidents involving work on track.
“This investigation will provide a national examination of rail worker safety and aim to identify areas where safety can be improved.”
The scope of the investigation will be wide ranging and include:
- examination of occurrence data to ascertain common safety risks associated with work on track accidents and incidents nation-wide
- survey of stakeholders (rail safety workers/safety managers) involved with the implementation of worksite protection systems to identify areas of concern and possible improvements in safety when carrying out work on track
- examination of the rules, procedures and forms used nation-wide to manage risk to rail safety workers arising from work on track
- examination of work practices in the coordination and communication processes/protocols employed by rail operators when managing worksite protection
- review of rail transport operators’ safety actions in response to findings arising from internal investigation and external (independent) investigations into worksite protection incidents
- examination of the interaction between organisations’ worksite protection rules and procedures and ancillary tasks associated with work on track, including the planning, preparation and application of onsite hazard assessment.
The launch of the ATSB’s systemic investigation coincides with Rail Safety Week, which aims to raise awareness about rail safety. The ATSB is participating in Rail Safety Week to highlight the ongoing concerns facing workers on track.
More information about the ATSB’s safety issues investigation and its SafetyWatch priority can be found on the ATSB website.