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6 January 2005 - HSE November Report
Published for Signals Passed at Danger (SPAD)
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The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have published the Signals
Passed at Danger (SPAD) report for November 2004.
As reported in Health and Safety for Beginners (HSFB) September
news, there are hundreds of SPADS each year, of which most have little or no
potential to cause harm because they are the result of minor misjudgments of
distance or braking capability, or they occur at low speed during shunting
operations.
Each signal has a safety overlap, which is the track's safety
margin after the signal, usually 200 yards, which offers protection against
drivers misjudging braking. However, there is the potential for a serious
incident if the train runs past the safety overlap feature, which can result in
the possibility of a collision with another train.
The November 2004 figures show a 21 decrease in the average
figure for the month over the past 6 years.
The summary report for November 2004 shows the following:
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14 SPAD's were at signal points with previous SPAD history, of
which 2 had been passed at danger 5 times or more since 1985.
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4 trains ran past the signal by 200 yards or more.
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7 trains over-ran the signal by 200 yards or less, but still
exceeded the signals overlap distance with 16 trains running past signals by 25
yards or less.
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16 instances showed this was not the first time the driver had
passed a signal at danger.
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17 cases showed the Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS)
had successfully operated.
The SPAD report for November 2004 can be accessed by
clicking the following:
SPAD Report for November 2004
Further information on SPAD within the HSE web site can be
accessed by clicking the following:
Signals Passed At Danger (SPADS)
Article by Alexandra Johnston
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