A group of railway workers had to jump clear to dodge a runaway trolley that then crashed into other equipment in an incident last year.
At around 5am on Sunday 26th May 2024, a track trolley ran away downhill towards a group of track workers at North Rode in Cheshire. A site supervisor and a controller of site safety saw the trolley approaching at around 20 mph (32 km/h) and shouted a warning, which provided enough time for staff in the site of work to get clear of the track. The trolley then collided with a piece of equipment within the site of work. No one was hurt in the accident, but the trolley and work equipment were damaged, prompting an investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB).
The trolley was being used within a possession to transport equipment from a railway access point to the site of work. This section of track is on an average downhill gradient of 1 in 176.
The RAIB report reveals that the runaway was caused by the trolley becoming unbraked while it was on a downhill gradient after the operator had intentionally defeated the 鈥榝ailsafe鈥� function of the trolley鈥檚 braking system. The design of the trolley made it possible to do this and the operator was aware that it was possible to do so. The ergonomics of the trolley brake system made it tiring to use, potentially encouraging the operator to defeat the brakes. The operator was also unaware that there was a risk of the trolley running away.
RAIB identified two underlying factors to the accident. These were that the product acceptance process employed by Network Rail did not manage the risks incurred by this design of trolley. A lack of clarity in site leadership roles also led to risks not being effectively managed. A further probable underlying factor was that the defeating of the braking system on this type of trolley is a known issue, but no effective action had been taken to eliminate the practice.
As a result of its investigation, RAIB has made two recommendations, both addressed to Network Rail. The first recommends that Network Rail, in conjunction with the Rail Safety and Standards Board and the M&EE Networking Group, reduces the likelihood of the failsafe brakes on trolleys of the type involved in this accident being modified by operators and rendered ineffective. The second recommendation aims to improve the implementation of safety learning resulting from accident and incident investigations.
Two learning points have been identified. The first reinforces the importance of staff not rendering the braking system ineffective when working with trolleys of this type. The second concerns the importance of controllers of site safety accompanying work groups to personally observe and advise them.
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
