The ATSB continues to investigate accidents and serious incidents that have occurred when work was being carried out on or near railway tracks.
Conducting work on or near a railway track will be dangerous if safeworking rules and procedures have not been correctly implemented to protect the worksite. Trains cannot be stopped quickly and any breakdown in the communication or management of a worksite can expose workers to great risk.
Operational safe working on track requires a high level of preparation and organisation. Whenever there is work taking place on or near operating track, coordination and communication are essential. Before authority is granted to occupy or work near a track, it is critical that all information is clearly communicated and verified between the Protection Officer and the Network Control Officer.
‘Safe work on rail’ is an area of heightened concern within the ATSB’s SafetyWatch program.
An adequate briefing about the work site and effective communications methods must be made available to the track workers. For track workers, it is vital to ensure that all levels of worksite protection have been fully established and implemented before work on or near the track is commenced. Established roles and responsibilities for worksite protection must be respected, and work should be stopped immediately and the track vacated if there is any uncertainty around the site protection status or effectiveness.
Read more on ATSB’s SafetyWatch initiative.