A dedicated contractor operator and his colleague were preparing an aggregate train for departure in the early hours of the morning. He placed the locomotive in position, isolated the locomotive and then proceeded to place the wagon handbrakes on.

It was dark, ground conditions were wet and lighting in the area was limited. The operator slipped and fell to the ground injuring his ankle. He managed to get back on his feet and carried on with his duties until the end of the shift  when he went home. He went to bed, but when he awoke his ankle was causing a lot of discomfort, so he went to hospital where an X-ray confirmed a fracture to the lower leg.

The images below show the damaged leg before the X-Ray and the location of the fall.

KEY FINDINGS

Housekeeping - The area by the rail shed was uneven, hidden by the wet conditions and poorly illuminated.  There is a cleaning regime in place, but it didn’t extend to this area.

Lighting - Head torches are issued by the contractor and should be used where required. General lighting in the area is good but potential for improvement opportunity in and around the loading shed.

PPE - Good condition safety boots were worn and the IP states they were laced up correctly.

Control of contractors - IP had not signed in and reported to site correctly.

HOW COULD THIS HAVE BEEN AVOIDED

• Ensure lighting is suitable and sufficient and ensure head torches are used as necessary.
• Ensuring ground conditions are even and slip free.

KEY REVIEW POINTS

• Review conditions of regular walking routes and see how they can be improved including drainage, lighting and winter readiness.
• Ensure lighting is appropriate in working areas.
• Review Control of Contractors ensuring we know they have signed in/out.
• Enforce timely reporting of Incidents via the Accident Book
• Ensure all near miss hazard alerts (NMHAs) are captured on the company system

SUGGESTED FORMAT FOR A TOOLBOX TALK

Please review the incident with your team(s), using this incident. Explain that slips, trips and falls are the most common cause of major injury.  Please also take the opportunity to:

• Discuss whether there are any areas on your sites where there is an increased risk of slip, trip, fall incidents and what can be done to eliminate / reduce the risk.
• Ask whether colleagues report slip, trip and fall hazards via the near miss / hazard alert reporting system, allowing identification of hazardous areas.
• Consider opportunities to further improve ground conditions, lighting, drainage, etc. considering both day and night working.
• Ensure suitable arrangements are in place for adverse weather, including ice warning and measures for clearing walkways of snow and applying grit salt
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• In addition, we can all personally reduce the potential for injury by using appropriate footwear, with good soles / grip and safety boots fully laced, by following dedicated walkways, by reporting near misses and hazards, and by using torches / head torches wherever required.