There have been incidents involving mobile cranes working adjacent to Network Rails operational railway, On the 16th July 2015, there was an incident involving a tower crane that caused damage to a handrail on the railway. This incident could have been much more serious. Be aware of plant working adjacent to our assets, we must NOT allow outside pressure to allow unsafe working practices.
On Sunday 8 November at Wool, Bindon No2 Xing, scrap rail had been placed on top of 2 track feeder cables, causing the 2 sections to be electrically linked.
The scrap rail may also have become Live. The rail was latterly removed under an EO (WX EO 635) and the bare cable insulation patched. The potential for harm would have been huge if someone had decided to attempt to move that rail without an isolation.
Highlights (again) the importance of disposing of scrap rail properly.
Incidents – This Week
22/11/2015 Southampton – Possession irregularity. Contract blocking staff operated a hook switch outside the possession limits without line blockage in place.
25/11/2015 Fleet station – Track operative was unkeying track when hammer slipped off the key hitting ankle. Ankle bruised and sore.
26/11/2015 Byfleet – Assurance checker checking on strapping staff, should have been a 2 man team but only 1 is present. They also crossed an open line without line blockage, no safe system of work and using wrong access as per packs.
29/11/2015 Dorchester J – A member of Salisbury S&T slipped on leaves and injured his knee on a troughing lid. Possible split kneecap.
29/11/2015 Woking – Member of Woking P-Way was unloading a flat bed. The side of the lorry dropped and a metal heel bar fell onto the top of his foot above the steel toe cap.
29/11/2015 Haslemere – Staps left in place at 42m 20ch when the current isolation for WON 36 Item 85 was recharged.
15/11/2015 Peasmarsh AMEY examiner entered a T3 possession without contacting PICOP to examine a culvert. They had set up their own safe system of work and gone trackside treating the line as live and trains running to complete their inspection. Incident currently under investigation as they hadn’t signed in with the PICOP.
15/11/2015 Basingstoke Member of Basingstoke S&T fell over onto his right knee causing some bruising to his knee.
16/11/2015 Woking Trackman whilst attending a manual handing course had a seizure. Ambulance called.
17/11/2015 Woking Track workers (believed to be vegetation clearance contractors) sitting track side without wearing hard hats or glasses on the Up side on the BML1 at c.25m17 (Woking Station).
19/11/2015 Norbiton Balfour Beatty Control report oil spill at 11M 49Ch. A bank hose on 6J61 no:75411failed. Fitter capped the leak. 20 litres of bio-degradable oil spilta and cleared with 2 spill kits as was the railhead.
19/11/2015 Brookwood Technician pulled a calf muscle whilst moving scrap rail. Resulted in LTI
21/11/2015 Barnes Member of Clapham P/Way carrying an iron man. Ballast shoulder gave way under foot and they landed on right hip, bruising right hip.