ORR safety report calls on rail industry to maintain safety focus

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The rail regulator today called on the rail industry to maintain its focus on safety, as it published its annual health and safety report showing both improvements and areas for attention.

The Office of Rail Regulation’s (ORR) annual health and safety report 2010-11 provides an update on key safety issues facing Great Britain’s railways.

The report comes as the rail industry works together, in the light of Sir Roy McNulty’s Value for Money Study, to improve the efficiency of Britain’s railways.

In its safety report, the regulator stresses that in well run businesses improved safety and efficiency go hand-in-hand.

This year’s report highlights that Great Britain’s railway remains one of the safest in Europe, with key findings including:

  • Potential high risk train accidents on the mainline railway showed a very significant reduction, from 42 in 2009/10 to 18 in 2010/11 – a record low.
  • The lowest number of collisions (five) between trains and vehicles at level crossings in recent years.
  • Workforce safety continues to improve on both the mainline and London Underground (LUL) despite increased reporting rates of minor injuries by Network Rail following the regulator’s intervention last year. Network Rail’s leadership and culture change programme is a vital step towards achieving improvements in its workforce safety.
  • London Underground (LUL) achieved ORR’s vision of zero workforce and industry caused passenger fatalities as it has done on past occasions.

Against a backdrop of safety improvements the regulator is pressing the industry to maintain, and in some places redouble, efforts to address areas of concern:

  • The regulator continues to have to step in to enforce improvements, or bring prosecutions, where things have gone wrong and to address safety risks. Last year the regulator issued 48 enforcement notices and completed eight prosecutions.
  • On the mainline railway, overall passenger harm increased by a further 2%, with more passengers coming to harm at the platform and train interface.
  • Low adhesion between the wheels of trains and rails is of significant concern from last autumn and the regulator is not convinced that the industry has a reliable strategy, both for existing rolling stock and the specification for new rolling stock.
  • Network Rail’s comprehensive review of level crossing risk management is a positive step. But it is now essential that this good work is translated into real action to better control level crossing risk appropriate at each individual crossing – a large proportion of overall risk on the railways.

ORR’s director of rail safety Ian Prosser said:

“Great Britain’s railways are facing a period of change as the industry works to improve its efficiency in the light of Sir Roy McNulty’s Value for Money Study – but we stress that safety must not be compromised. We say again, improvements in safety and efficiency go hand-in-hand.

“Our 2011 health and safety report highlights positive strides in safety. Great Britain’s railways remain one of the safest in Europe and latest figures show workforce safety continues to improve.

“But our report also highlights areas for attention, particularly passenger safety at stations and safety at level crossings. It is crucial that the rail industry, in striving for long-term and sustainable excellence, shows real leadership, maximising everyone’s contribution and steps up to the considerable challenges ahead.”

ORR’s health and safety report is an online publication, available on the regulator’s website.

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