November 10, 2008
Worker Trapped between Two Oncoming Trains
In an horrific incident close to Leatherhead station a railway employee was dragged by a train along the lines and suffered injuries that nearly cost him his life.
According to an investigation, the unnamed man in his early 30s who worked as a Network Rail patrolman became crushed between two trains that had been moving in opposite directions for nearly 2 hours before the fire brigade were able to release him and send him by helicopter to hospital.
According to the investigation, the man was inflicted with a series of injuries to his legs back, head, and needed to be hospitalised for several weeks. The investigation lays a large percentage of the blame on the company management who according to the report failed to give consistent safety information to its railway workers.
According to the report from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) workers had been given insufficient instruction on how to conduct themselves when warned of a train approaching. Although two of the five men present were standing guard as lookouts, and they did give the proper signal warning of the two approaching trains, the man in question failed to respond to those warnings quickly enough and as a direct result he was trapped between the two trains as they passed by each other.
Companies need to be sure that they are giving the correct instructions to employees with regard to health and safety issues. Companies should make themselves fully aware of the most up-to-date requirements by visiting Workplace Law and looking at their highly regarded NEBOSH course.
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