On 3rd September 2022, Network Rail released their latest safety standard (NR/L2/OHS/501 Module W4) which is a module that, for the first time, specifies the requirements for the use of geofencing on the railway.
What does this mean for businesses?
Working on a live railway has always been among the most dangerous occupations in the industry. With ten trackside workers dying on the lineside since 2019, and an average of 20 near misses reported each month, the need to improve safety on the railway is paramount. With the introduction of geofencing to the industry, businesses now have the opportunity to offer safer and more ethical worksites for trackside employees.
Geofencing uses positioning technology to create virtual boundaries, allowing businesses to create safe zones to protect workers from hazards. When workers leave their agreed areas of safety, a wearable device alerts them, helping workers immediately regain situational awareness. This provides a signal that they should move back to a position of safety, helping to stop workers from continuing into the path of oncoming trains or other hazards.
With no beacons or new infrastructure required, Tended’s geofencing technology can be set up in minutes and deployed rapidly by businesses to improve their worker’s situational awareness and help put an end to preventable accidents.
By improving trackside safety and reducing accident risk, geofencing is helping businesses to comply with Network Rail’s Standard 019.
What is the Standard 019?
Network Rail’s Standard 019 details the safe working processes and procedures that must be followed by any organisation or persons working on or near the UK's railway tracks. The fundamentals for this standard are the introduction of better accountability and roles for delivering work safely. This ensures the right people are involved in the planning and risk assessing of the work being undertaken.
The standard includes the introduction of a Person in Charge (PIC) to oversee safety and consider all risks, as well as a Safe Work Pack (SWP) compiled by the PIC, Planner and Responsible Manager. The purpose of the SWP is to identify and manage all possible risks and enable effective implementation of controls for the safety of people involved in work activities on or near an open line. It also introduces a new hierarchy of protection and warning methods that replaced what was formerly known as red and green zone working.
The use of geofencing on the railway therefore helps to manage those risks identified in the Safe Work Pack, offering a reliable and additional first-of-a-kind level of protection, helping to alleviate any potential danger of a worker deviating onto the line.
In addition, geofencing is also helping businesses to comply with Network Rail’s Standard 0130.
What is the Standard 0130?
In March 2022, Network Rail introduced Standard 0130 which is an additional set of safety standards, specifically for site-based works on or near a line, that can be segregated from railway operations. The standards allow for some trackside work to be carried out without the necessity to apply the measures associated with the operational railway as defined within Standard 019, but in doing so requires other controls, to still keep trackside workers safe.
The main requirement of this is for site controllers to segregate a safe area of work for trackside workers using risk-based controls on or near an open line, such as physical barriers.
Whilst physical barriers can be effective, more often than not, lineside work is completed at night meaning visibility is hindered and workers are at greater risk of fatigue which may affect, their judgement and consciousness. With time limitations to complete work, teams might experience pressure to complete within a short time frame, which can create a narrowing of focus and likely affect situational awareness and their own safety.
The addition of virtual barriers to site works using geofencing adds an extra layer of protection for trackside workers, improving their situational awareness and providing a preventative measure for the factors listed above. This provides additional protection where the Safe Work Pack specifies portable temporary barriers or the use of a site warden to keep workers within the segregated safe areas of work, helping businesses better comply with the requirements of Standard 0130.
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Geofencing is set to transform the safety of trackside workers around the world. Tended is committed to eliminating workforce fatalities and putting an end to preventable accidents on the railway using geofencing technology combined with behavioural science. Learn more about this first-of-its-kind solution here.
