The
number


of
railway
staff
injured
by
assaults
rose
by
53
per
cent
last
year,
according
to
the
Rail
Safety
and
Standards
Board.

The
RSSB’s
Annual
Health
and
Safety
Report
also
mentions
the
death
of
61-year
old
gateline
worker
Jorge
Ortega,
who
received
fatal
head
injuries
when
he
was
attacked
at
Ilford
station
on
4
December
last
year.
He
died
in
hospital
two
days
later.

A
28-year
old
Ilford
man
was
charged
with
murder
and
is
set
to
go
on
trial
later
this
month.

The
RSSB
report
says:
‘The
rail
industry
is
taking
positive
action
to
reduce
and
prevent
attacks
in
stations
and
trains
through
training,
body
worn
cameras
and
even
body
armour.
However,
for
things
to
really
improve,
there
needs
to
be
a
wholesale
change
in
public
behaviour.’

It
also
warns
that
trespassing
continues
to
be
a
major
problem,
and
that
most
of
the
29
people
who
lost
their
lives
on
the
railway
last
year
had
been
trespassing,
although
one
died
after
the
collision
at
Talerddig
on
the
Cambrian
Line,
while
the
rate
of
suicides
on
the
railway
has
‘unfortunately
mirrored
the
national
increase’.
The
industry
is
‘collaborating
and
working
with
other
sectors
to
address
this
issue’.

The
RSSB’s
director
of
system
safety
and
health
Chris
Knowles
said:
‘Our
Operational
Risk
and
Safety
Conference
underlined
the
rail
industry’s
proactive
approach
to
challenges
such
as
trespass,
worker
assaults,
extreme
weather,
financial
constraints,
and
societal
changes.

‘Our
latest
Annual
Health
and
Safety
Report
shows
Britain’s
railway
is
still
a
safe
mode
of
transport,
in
no
small
part
due
to
the
focus
and
vigilance
of
the
whole
industry.
But
we
can
do
more.
It
remains
essential
to
collaborate,
to
share
safety
and
performance
data
and
to
apply
the
learning
and
hard-won
lessons
from
incidents.’

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us
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