Supplementary memorandum by the HSE (OPT
21A)
Thank you for your letter of 30 January 2003
requesting additional information, following my attendance with
Bob Smallwood at the Committee meeting on 22 January. I propose
to deal with your requests in turn.
1. The question of whether there might
be "grandfather rights" allowing trains without tannoys
being replaced by others without an electronic system (Q 331).
1.1 All new rolling stock must provide a
public address system so train staff can communicate directly
with passengers. These are often used for important functions
other than safety.
2. Whether the HSE routinely asks for
information about the time taken to evacuate rolling stock (Q
344). The Committee would also be interested in any work done
on the likely need to evacuate from one carriage into another.
2.1 Train Operating Companies (TOCs) have
to submit technical documents to HSE (rolling stock supporting
cases) before bringing in new rolling stock. HSE assesses these
to consider if risks have been reduced "so far as is reasonably
practicable". As part of this process, questions are asked
about measures in place to manage evacuation and escape. The detailed
design calculations, including emergency evacuation times etc
are not reviewed by HSE, but they are examined by an independent
industry body — the Vehicle Acceptance Body—that assesses
the detailed design calculations against the industry's Railway
Group Standard. HSE has a role in commenting on such Railway Group
Standards.
2.2 As stated in HSE's memoranda to the
Committee, the need for train evacuations is relatively rare and
it is usually much safer for passengers to stay on board the train,
rather than face the risks posed by moving trains and "live"
track.
2.3 HSE has done no work on incidents where
passengers are evacuated from one carriage to another, because
external side doors always provide passengers with an alternative
escape route.
2.4 Network Rail approves the use of rolling
stock on specific routes and this involves, amongst other things,
checking if there is sufficient clearance to use external doors
for passenger evacuation. Network Rail does not approve trains
made up of units without interconnecting doors to run on lines
where there is insufficient clearance for external doors to be
used as the primary means of passenger escape. However, there
are very few routes in Britain where either front or back-end
train evacuations are necessary.
2.5 HSE approves units without interconnecting
doors because they have safety advantages. The door-frame structure
needed for the provision of front and back escape routes can severely
restrict the driver's view out of the cab and so, it is preferable
not to fit doors for front and back escape when side evacuation
is possible.
3 Whether the HSE was involved in the
evacuation exercise of a Virgin Voyager train described by Mr
Green (Q 345).
3.1 HSE was not involved.
4. The role and composition of the Human
Factors Working Group of the Rail Industry Adviser Committee mentioned
in (Q 365).
4.1 The Health and Safety Commission's (HSC)
Human Factors working group is a sub-group of HSC's Railway Industry
Advisory Committee. Its terms of reference are to:
— review industry progress in collecting
evidence to support health and safety related research into human
factors in the rail industry. Including studies related to safety
critical rail workers' performance (as recommended in the HSC's
Action Plan developed following the Southall Rail Accident Report),
legitimate passenger use of the railways, workforce behaviour
(including managerial staff), organisational design and management
culture;
— set priorities and encourage partnerships
in relation to the funding of such research;
— facilitate the identification, evaluation,
communication and promotion of best practice on the assessment
of railways human factors studies and its integration into health
and safety policy, design and operations, drawing on experience
within UK and international industries;
— review progress on Human Factors
research in other industries;
— provide an all industry forum (including
its service suppliers) for discussion of issues relating to railways
human factors and how it impacts on health and safety within the
rail industry; and
— advise the Railway Industry Advisory
Committee of measures or actions that could be taken to improve
overall rail health and safety as a result of its work.
The membership of RIAC's human factors working
group are:
— Aiden Nelson—Chair (Railway
Safety);
— Ann Mills (Railway Safety);
— Emma Lowe (Network Rail);
— Jane Rajan (Ergonomiq Ltd);
— Phil Dee (Rail, Maritime and Transport
workers union);
— Ian Wilson (Rail Passengers Council);
— Caroline Horbury (London Underground
Limited);
— Les Allan (Amalgamated Engineering
and Electrical Union);
— Graham Thomas (Thames Trains);
— Dave Bennett (Associated Society
of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen);
— Ray Metcalfe (Rail Industry Association);
— David Woodhouse (Heritage Railway);
— Steve Bence (Association of Train
Operating Companies);
— David Walmsley (temporary representative
for SERCO Metrolink Ltd);
— Martin Anderson/Claire Dickinson
(HSE's Hazardous Installations Directorate);
— Steve Bliss (temporary representative
for HSE's HMRI);
— Les Philpott (HSE's Directorate of
Railway Policy); and
— Maxine Burke (HSE's Directorate of
Railway Policy).
5. The guidance document on design of
trains mentioned in Q 314 (see Annex A).
6. Statistics on accidents occasioned
by trains being longer than the platforms they stop at.
The information gathered for the purposes of
HSE accident statistics does not enable identification of accidents
that have occurred where the train is longer than the platform
and passengers have disembarked onto the track. However, the statistics
from a more general classification on "passenger injuries
alighting from a train not at a station" include incidents
occurring at short platforms. The data for the last couple of
years is:
Incidents where passenger are injured alighting
from a train not at a station
| 2000-01
| 13 |
| 2001-02 | 10
|
| 2002-03 | 6*
|
* Information is only available up to the end of January 2003.
In all of these incidents passengers required hospital treatment,
but none were fatal. Injuries not requiring hospital treatment
are not reportable to HSE.
Anne Sharp
HSE
February 2003
| 
