Rail Accident Analysis and Prevention

This assignment delves into a tragic rail accident where a train collided with an obstructed crossing due to driver negligence. It analyzes the contributing factors, including lack of attention to warning signals and inadequate medical response. The analysis highlights the importance of implementing robust safety measures, such as improved training for drivers and timely access to medical care, to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Running head: SAFETY AND RISK MANAGEMENT
Kerang rail crash
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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SAFETY AND RISK MANAGEMENT
Train crashes have become a common factor due to the prohibitions of the safety
measures. In Australia, also many cases are found of railway accidents. These kinds of
accidents mainly occurs due to trains travelling collision on the same tract, trains getting
distracted due to some technical fault or because of landslides or any object obstructing the
rail. Proper rescue measures are very much important like the responsibility of the
commander and staffs of the railway and there must be certain principles for interventions
that must be kept in mind (Maurino et al., 2017). However, rail industry safety and standard
board (RISSB) in Australia is expanding a compact model of safety risk to meet the needs of
this industry. The Australian rail risk model (ARRM) pulls the attention on the existing
system to create a progressive data other than any organization can generate. However,
Australia’s Rail Safety National Law permits an approach that is risk based for managing
safety (Guo et al., 2014).
The incident chosen here is the Kerang train accident that took place in 5th of June
2007 at kerang 3579 in Australia. In the accident however, 11 passengers were dead and
more than 23 passengers were found to be injured. It is said to be the life threaten disaster in
Australia ever since 1977. The train was crowded with passengers when it was derailed at
Granville in the west of Sydney (Curtis et al., 2012). According to reporters, victims did not
have the necessary safety measures and was almost left for dying as the doctors, nurses and
anesthetists were told to stay away from the area of accident. In case of this particular train
crash, however it was said that the truck driver was deaf in one ear and had glasses and so he
could not see any red light flashing when he did take a bend and he could not hear the train’s
horn (Tung & Khattak, 2015). The coroner however said that if the truck driver had the
warning two seconds earlier then this collision could have been avoided. It has further been
said that in Australia maximum of the train crashes occurs due to collations that include trains
and trucks. Thus, measures should be there to avoid all these.

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SAFETY AND RISK MANAGEMENT
As suggested by the statistics it has been said that every transport involves some risk
or the other and so safety levels are accepted are not are to be looked by the government who
must regulate against the potentially hazardous practices. A number of causes actually
enhance the rail accidents like derailments, unmanned level crossings, collisions, train fires
and accidents that took place due to the lapses of the railway staff. A number of accidents
take place due to the signaling errors that are made by the train operators. The basic safety
measures that every driver should keep in mind is firstly to drive defensively which means if
the driver has the proper sense of safety then the accidents are to be avoided, reaching the
allotted destination is most important and so if any other vehicle is seen in a hurry thus they
must not be obstinate. Speed limit should not be increased as because it is illegal as well as
dangerous. The driver must be attentive and his focus should be on the roads while he is
driving, seat belt should be worn and most importantly, if the driver is stresses or unwell then
he should not be driving (Salmon et al., 2013). However, in cases of wet roads and bad
weathers the driver should have slowed down the speed.
The main safety breaches that contributed to this particular train crash were firstly the
delayed signaling from the part of the train driver. As the coroner states that if the signaling
were done few seconds prior then this accident would have been controlled. The next thing is
that the truck driver could not see the crossing lights that were flashing. It was reported that
the truck driver was deaf in one ear and had glasses. However, people who have physical
limitations can be dangerous and risky for causing accidents. According to another truck
driver who was just behind the truck which got into accident said that he saw no break light
before the crash. The truck went straight and hit the train at the crossing (Newnam & Goode,
2015).
After this terrible accident, strong new rules were made up for the roads along with
flashing warning light and the rumble strips. Apart from this, those Victorian drivers who will

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race there transport to beat the train at the level crossing will definitely lose their license for a
month of three and may also face a fine of $3,300 under the crime of speeding to overcome
the train. The state government has taken another measure where they established raised
strips on the surface of the roads at every 200 crossings and flashing signs of warnings in the
lead up to around 53 crossings, which include Kerang in the northern part of Victoria that
comes under a package of multi-million dollar (Scott-Parker, Goode & Salmon, 2015).
Further, around 1,300 level crossings will however be left passively protected with a give
way or a stop sign. Another problem that the investigators came up with is the increased bad
behavior of the driver. This excessive risk taking behavior from the drivers will however the
highest concern for the Australian government. Thus, in every rail crossing especially on a
highway of the regional Victoria will have this active protection. With growing technological
advantages, the government is also working hard so that they can use the technology to warn
the drivers of threatening level crossings. This will include the GPS devices in the truck so
that it can alert drivers to the nearby crossings and radio conductor warnings at the level
crossings that can disallow vehicle radios (Wullems et al., 2014).
However, the package of $33 million, which the government has come up with, they,
will be including the ‘don’t risk it’ campaign of advertising and will increase the work at 75
crossings to clear the vegetation from the lines of vision. Addition to this there will be two
new compliance cameras that will also be tested in the metropolitan crossing and in the
regional crossing (Salmon et al., 2013). The new measures and policies also include the
penalties that will be charged for every driver on the offences made by them at the level
crossings. This package by the government will definitely enhance e the road safety in
Victoria. However, the reasons that the public transport minister said are the main cause of
the accident were inattentiveness, the drivers attitude flout the law and those drivers who
have no awareness about the requirements. Thus, keeping these in mind the policies and

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practices are implemented. Therefore, Victorian government considered of buying
technology overseas that will help the truck drivers get the warnings through their radios
when the trains will be approaching at the level crossing. Thus, according to the transport
minister there must be audible warning to the truck drivers who will be approaching the
tracks when the trains are close (Wullems, Nikandros & Nelson-Furnell, 2013).
According to the rail safety experts, they think that there are requirements of more
improvement in the safety measures at the level crossings that must involve an installation of
boom gates at each level crossing. Presently, the government has already made significant
improvements, which are dictating in the $30 million in upgrading level crossings all over the
state. The rumble strips that were promised are all in place today. The automated updated
warning signs are also being regularly rolled out all over the state. The speed limits have also
been reduced at majority of the level crossings and there has been increased law enforcement
and penalties (Glendon, Clarke & McKenna, 2016). However, after implementing these
policies, which were enhancing the crossings in Victoria and introduction of rumble strips,
the crashes at the level crossings had really fallen as compare to the previous number of
accidents. They also intended to improve the maintenance and regulations industries that are
of heavy vehicles and the penalties that would be imposed for the breaches of standards will
definitely enhance in the next few years. Safety has always been the concern of the Australian
government at the level crossings and so they are always fighting to continue for
improvements that they can make at the level crossings to prevent the accidents (Flammini,
2012).
To conclude the essay it can be said that kerang train accident that took place in
5thJune 2007 actually shook the Victorian government and forced them to take possible
measures so that the train crashes are minimized. This train crash was a massive one as the
truck hit the train because he could not hear the warning signal nor he could see the flashing

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light that the train is approaching. Reports say that 11 passengers were death and more than
23 passengers were injured. It was also said that the injured did not get proper and on time
medical facilities else conditions of the victims would have been better. However, the
government was active enough to implement new policies and took right measures so that
safety of the passengers as well as the drivers can be enhance and the accidents can be
prevented.

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REFERENCES
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and New Zealand. Australasian emergency nursing journal, 15(1), 45-54.
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Systems Engineering: Technologies and Systems Engineering. IGI Global.
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