Safety Breaches Leading to the Derailment of the Santiago de Compostela Train

Running head: SAFETY AND RISK MANAGEMENT 1
SAFETY BREACHES LEADING TO THE DERAILMENT OF THE SANTIAGO DE
COMPOSTELA TRAIN
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SAFETY AND RISK MANAGEMENT 2
Introduction
Train accidents are common around the world, with the media regularly reporting railway
accidents and the causes leading to the occurrence of the accidents. The common causes of
railway accidents which commonly catch news headlines include head-on collision and
derailment of a train, with a paucity of funds by the government commonly being blamed for the
low standards of the railways. The accidents are often caused by human faults leading to the loss
of many lives annually. In addition, railway accidents lead to losses in government property and
also lead to the setting up of inquiry commissions for the analysis of the causes of railway
accidents in order to implement mitigation measures and prevent accidents in future. The paper
seeks to establish the safety breaches leading to the derailment of the Santiago de Compostela
train.
Safety Breaches Leading to the Derailment of the Santiago de Compostela Train
Safety breaches leading to the disaster included human error, whereby the driver of the
train had his attention repeatedly distracted by phone calls from the inspector in charge of the rail
line which leads to Santiago de Compostela. Lasting for one minute and forty-two seconds, the
last phone call provided enough time for the train to emerge from the final tunnel just before
where the curve is, a distance of more than 5.5 kilometers (Shultz et al., 2016). After terminating
the call, the driver realized that the train was moving at a high speed while approaching the “A
Grandeira” curve. Due to his engagement with the call, the train driver failed to respond to the
alerts warning him of excessive speed three separate times. Although he tried to apply the brakes
in the final seconds, the driver could not prevent the crash due to the high speed which caused
the train to vault from the rails.

SAFETY AND RISK MANAGEMENT 3
Another safety breach which led to the train’s crash was due to the absence of automated
safety engineering which would have reduced the train’s speed hence preventing the crash
(Margry & Sánchez-Carretero, 2011). The automated system applies the brakes and slows the
train down if the driver does not reduce the speed. The system would have effectively prevented
the fatalities which occurred following the crash since derailment would not have occurred if the
train was moving at a slow speed as it would have successfully navigated around the arc. The
automatic control technology is important as it alerts the driver of the train’s excessive speed and
brakes if no action is taken (Glendon, Clarke & McKenna, 2016). Additionally, the train driver
has enough time to respond to the excessive speed warning alerts which normally go off several
times so as to capture the attention of the driver.
Additionally, excessive velocity led to the derailment of the train (Parkinson & Bamford,
2016). The introduction of the high-speed train resulted to trains moving at an excessively high
velocity which is dangerous if the train approaches a curve at such high speeds hence making it
impossible for the train to successively navigate the curves. Train engineers are trained to stay
alert and be aware of such curves and ensure that the train is moving at a safe speed to avoid
excessive velocity hence avoiding crash incidents.
Furthermore, lack of policies to manage how train drivers could engage in mobile phone
calls led to the crash (Shultz, 2017). Policy implementation would ensure that the period in
which the train driver engages in phone calls is governed by restrictions in order to avoid
excessive disturbances and loss of concentration which may result to the driver not responding to
speed warnings or not noticing an approaching arc. After the implementation of the new policies,
train drivers will be keener on their job since they will be bound by the rules and policies set out
within their area of expertise.