Network Rail fined £3.75m after double track worker death

The agency pleaded responsible to a security offence following an investigation and prosecution by business regulator the Workplace of Rail and Highway (ORR).

Community Rail workers Michael Lewis and Gareth Delbridge have been engaged on the observe when a passenger prepare travelling from Swansea to Paddington struck them inflicting deadly accidents.

The prepare narrowly missed the a 3rd employee.

The trio have been finishing up observe upkeep work with out website or distant lookout safety to warn them of approaching trains, or a line block which might have prevented trains from travelling on the part of the observe they have been engaged on.

ORR’s investigation discovered systematic and wide-ranging security failures by Community Rail in its measures to guard these engaged on or close to the road from trains, ensuing from inadequacies in its processes and administration programs.

These have been much like the findings of ORR inspections in 2018 and 2019, and from different earlier incidents, which led the protection regulator to take formal enforcement motion to require Community Rail to enhance observe employee security.

Because the accident at Margam there was a step change within the administration of observe employee security, with Community Rail virtually solely ending red-zone working when traces stay stay throughout observe work.

Richard Hines. HM Chief Inspector of Railways, stated: “Our ideas proceed to be with the household, associates and colleagues of Michael Lewis and Gareth Delbridge.  I’m deeply sorry for his or her loss.  The Court docket has imposed a tremendous of £3.75m which displays the character and gravity of Community Rail’s failings.

“The rail business must do all it virtually can to assist every employee get dwelling safely daily. A lot progress has been made in decreasing danger to trace employees, with new protections launched. The business is dedicated to seeing these applied sciences applied additional and sooner.

“This can require a relentless, collective, business focus to proceed to drive down danger to make sure that tragic incidents reminiscent of this are by no means repeated.”

Nick Millington, Route Director, Community Rail Wales & Borders, stated: “We all know that the tragic deaths of our colleagues, Gareth Delbridge and Michael ‘Spike’ Lewis, ought to by no means have occurred on our railway and that has been mirrored by in the present day’s judgment.

“Over the past 5 years I’ve met commonly with Gareth and Spike’s households and our ideas stay with them, and all these associates and colleagues who’ve been impacted by their deaths.

“Since this tragedy, now we have continued to rework the protection of our workforce by the event of recent know-how and planning instruments, which have virtually solely eradicated the necessity to work on the railway when trains are operating.

“In the present day’s judgment reinforces why security should all the time be our first consideration, and we’ll proceed to do all we will to make our railways the most secure they are often.”