Rail Safety - Safety At Work magazine

["Kevin Jones" <jonesk@worksafety.com.au>]

The new issue of Safety At Work looks at recent railroad disasters and
identifies substantial deficiencies in management practices and government
action. Important lessons are available for all companies that undertake
restructuring or economic rationalisation. This issue looks at how
privatisation and profits can jeopardise worker and public safety.

Analysis of the issues is provided by Dominique Bouf of France, Ace Ferrusi
of Canada and other correspondents from around the world.

We report on rail incidents in Canada, India, Norway, Austria, England, New
Zealand

Below are some quotes from our contributors:

Ace Ferrusi - "If safety plays a lesser role to other operating concerns
then the safety performance will suffer"

Richard Tyler - "The terrible fire on the Kaprun funicular railway has
exposed a criminal lack of safety procedures."

Steve James - "...some of the coaches involved were up to 40 years old, and
this had contributed to the fierce fires which left emergency service
workers unable to help the injured people still alive inside the burning
coaches."

K Ratnayake - " It has become a virtual ritual for the government and top
bureaucrats, after every rail disaster, to attribute the accident to "human
error" or "mechanical failure", and appoint a commission to investigate and
submit recommendations. But other than naming new scapegoats, nothing has
changed and the existing system has been absolved."

Mike Ingram - "..Railtrack's admission of a broken track...again illustrated
the incompatibility of a private rail network run on the basis of
accumulating ever greater profit, with the interests of passengers and basic
public safety."

John Braddock - "The testimonies revealed that the workers were victims of
an employer whose single-minded pursuit of profits meant excessively long
hours, constant restructuring and cost cutting, reduced manning levels and
dangerous equipment."


Visit www.worksafety.com.au to subscribe. A gallery of back issues is also
available. Subscribe using our secure server or request an invoice. Any
orders received before March 31 receive a CD of exclusive OHS Articles


Kevin Jones
Workplace Safety Services
Australia
www.worksafety.com.au
Ph: 613 9478 9484