{"id":59855,"date":"2019-07-11T09:40:17","date_gmt":"2019-07-11T08:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=59855"},"modified":"2019-07-11T09:40:17","modified_gmt":"2019-07-11T08:40:17","slug":"network-rail-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/health-safety-news\/network-rail-safety\/59855\/","title":{"rendered":"Network Rail launches \u00a370m track worker safety task force"},"content":{"rendered":"

Network Rail<\/a> has launched a \u00a370m fund to target track-worker safety, bringing together multiple strands of work from across the company aimed at improving safety for employees that work on the railway<\/h2>\n

Martin Frobisher, Network Rail\u2019s group safety, technical and engineering director, said: \u201cWe will make it safer to work on or near the railway than it is today. Everyone should expect to get home every day, and while our track record has been good and improving safety, there are still too many close-calls and that will be addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Office of Rail and Road<\/a> (ORR), the railway\u2019s safety regulator, has also signalled concern in this area by issuing the company with two improvement notices seeking to get the company to do more to improve track-worker safety.<\/p>\n

Frobisher added: \u201cWe have been working with the ORR and our trade unions for many months to help us make working on the railway safer. Like our regulator, we want to see speedier progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tragic deaths in Wales<\/a> last week are a stark reminder to us all that more needs to be done. We will rise to that challenge as losing more of our railway family is not something we can tolerate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The task force, headed by Mr Frobisher, will accelerate its current \u2018Near Miss Reduction Programme\u2019 and will pull together multiple programmes that have been working over the past eight months or so, to improve track-worker safety including:<\/p>\n