Railway safety is a critical aspect of transportation systems worldwide, ensuring the secure movement of people and goods. Despite advancements in technology and rigorous safety standards, railway incidents still occur, often with severe consequences.
For years, the slogan for the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) railway section has been “Safety First.” This is about maintaining the railways as a safe workplace for the federation’s members and other workers employed in the railway industry, as well as ensuring safety for passengers and the general public.
The importance of safety is best illustrated by the right of each worker to refuse to carry out dangerous work is enshrined in ILO Convention 155, Article 13: “A worker who has removed himself from a work situation which he has reasonable justification to believe presents an imminent and serious danger to his life or health shall be protected from undue consequences in accordance with national conditions and practice”.
As with every profession, even the best-trained railway worker can make mistakes. Technical systems should be designed so that they constitute a barrier to human error. The principle must be that no single human error is allowed to cause an accident.
The higher the traffic density and speed of the train, the more advanced the technical support systems must be. The ‘dead man’s handle’ onboard the locomotive, stopping the train if the driver becomes incapacitated, is well known.
In a modern environment, this must be supplemented with automatic train protection systems, including speed control preventing the train from passing warning signals and from dangerous speeding.
It is important to underline that more advanced technical barrier systems do not imply that the training levels can be reduced. On the contrary, in general, the training needs to change focus and be improved.
The train networks are growing and becoming more complex, but the ideas of restructuring in many cases mostly imply cost savings by introducing single-driver operations, station job cuts, and outsourcing certain services to non-professional staff.
Proper maintenance of the infrastructure is equally important to ensure safety but far too often we see staff reductions, lengthening of the intervals between inspections and introduction of automated inspection systems with poorer quality as a substitute to proper inspections carried out by trained employees, -in order to save money. Special attention must be given to level crossings.
A collision between a train and another vehicle, for instance, usually has fatal consequences. All level crossings where there is potential for collisions should be equipped with automatic barriers and other preventive equipment, stopping road vehicles from crossing the track when a train is approaching.
Safety management systems should be open and transparent. Railway safety is about technical equipment and its interaction with human beings. Every change that is done on the technical side or in the organization of work or companies, should improve safety.
The Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) operations exemplify safety best practices. The operations aim to ensure that equipment and devices are in sound condition in order to guarantee quality operations. This is achieved through thorough conducting of repair, maintenance, and inspections before the trains leave the maintenance depots.
Afristar, the SGR operator, also provides emergency response which guides operators on how to manage issues on the line such as floods, wildlife, fires, livestock, and obstruction. One notable way is through conducting line patrols during the rainy season to check the condition of the ground.
The safety checks extend to railway tracks and other infrastructure along the SGR corridor. Afristar’s inspectors assess track conditions, track equipment, Central Traffic Control equipment, CCTV equipment, bridges, tunnels, signaling systems, and station facilities for defects or hazards. They check for structural integrity, track alignment, obstructions, and security risks.
Regular inspections ensure compliance with safety standards, preventing derailments and accidents. Any detected issues must be addressed before operations continue.
Afristar also carries out crew training in emergency response and operational safety to enhance preparedness. Collaboration with law enforcement and emergency services ensures rapid response to incidents.
Kabeca Gichuru is a Railway Transport and Logistics Communication Specialist
