16 September 2004 - Progress Report by HSC on Recommendations for Rail Public Inquires
A third progress report
has been published by the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) on rail
Public Inquires recommendations made by Professor John Uff and Lord Cullen
in their reports on the Southall and Ladbroke Grove rail crashes and their
Inquiry into train protection systems.
The first report was published in November 2002 charting
progress on all 295 recommendations, with the second progress report being
published in August 2003 showing progress on the remaining 116
recommendations, this third report tracks progress made on the remaining 79
recommendations.
Bill Callaghan, HSC Chair commented:
“This latest report
records considerable progress. The rail Public Inquiries have
delivered results because the rail industry has risen to the challenge of
delivering the recommendations; this is part of the framework for the
continued improvement in railway safety. Of the total of 295
recommendations arising from the three Public Inquiries into rail safety,
only 27 now remain to be completed. The end of 2003 saw the successful
completion of the train protection and warning system (TPWS) programme.
TPWS has already reduced the signal passed at danger risk and there have
been several incidents where TPWS has effectively intervened in situations
where there was potential for collisions.
“In the recently published White Paper ‘The Future of Rail’ the Government
set out its plans to merge regulatory responsibility for rail safety with
the Office of Rail Regulation. That new body must ensure that the
process of improving safety culture on the railways continues, and both the
Rail Accident Investigation Board and the Rail Safety and Standards Board –
two creations of the rail Public Inquiries - will have key roles to play.
In the meantime, HSC remains committed to maintaining health and safety on
the railways”.
The third report can be found by clicking the following link - The Rail Public Inquiries: HSC report on overall progress as of March 2004 on the remaining recommendations from the rail Public Inquiries
Article by Alexandra Johnston
