Preventing people plant interface on the railway

By Onwave People plant accidents are still happening on the railways. In February this year, during the early hours of February 6, 2024, a track worker was injured by a road-rail vehicle (RRV) while working on the Midland Main Line near Braybrooke, Northamptonshire.

The worker was directing the movement of another RRV on an adjacent track when the incident occurred. The worker sustained a leg injury, needing hospital treatment. Matthew Wilson [1]Projects Director at OWL[2] answers some frequently asked questions. How can you maintain adequate stopping distances between RRV’s when they are moving?

RRV’s should only move at 5MPH in a possession, so should always have adequate stopping distance – it’s more about making sure that they stay apart. OWL technology can be used to ensure that people on site are alerted should boundaries/geofences around RRVs get too close to each other. How can you monitor and maintain speed limits of On Track Plant?

RRVs should travel at a maximum speed of 5MPH however, but people sometimes choose to speed. So, recording the speed with OWL technology and being able to visibly see the movements on Live View will deter users from speeding. How can you maintain exclusion zones around On-track Plant?

Currently, as plant is constantly moving, the existing system is that the Machine Controller keeps people away from the RRV they are looking after, as they are unlikely to set up a barrier system. So, Owl is the only geofencing system that can provide a virtual barrier that moves with the plant that supports the Machine Controller as an additional layer of protection. With this bespoke technology in place track workers are more likely to adhere to the exclusion zones.

All the data is recorded by the system and can be used as a learning tool so that the current working methodology can be revised, or additional training provided. The project can then use this data to focus their safety efforts on the riskier operations and behaviours. How long does it take to train teams how to use the geofencing wearables?

Our experienced project managers and engineers can show your team how to use the system in one quick training session lasting no more than half a day. This includes setting up the dynamic exclusion zones, how to use location player to review device movements and extract data using PowerBi on our user-friendly system. How long does it take to set up zones around plant equipment to monitor it whilst moving?

This can be set up in minutes using the OWL portal. All you need to do is select the project, allocate a Plus device as plant and choose ‘dynamic zone,’ you will then be prompted to choose what radius of zone you require. Once the device is turned on it can then be attached to the item of plant, and this will appear on Live View as a dynamic zone.

What are the additional benefits of using OWL with On Track Plant? PICOPs and ESs can have a live view of all plant in their possessions and worksites allowing them to coordinate their works with more efficiency and oversight. This visibility provides assurance of where any item of plant is at any given time and is particularly useful at the end of a possession to ensure that all plant is clear of the track.

OWL can be used to protect fixed infrastructure from plant, for example making sure that the plant does not come in contact with structures by putting a fixed zones around them and warning the plant operatives when they are getting too close. We can use geofencing to mitigate the risk of points run throughs; by placing a zone on approach to a set of points, the driver and Machine Controller will be provided with a warning to check, and make sure that the route is set correctly. We can make sure that plant only accesses and egress’s site via the designated access point by warning the drivers that they are either going into a danger zone or positively alert then that they have arrived at the correct access point.

This also means that the plant is far less likely to leave a worksite. The system can be used to warn the drivers of any present risks such as invasive species, buried services and live electrical sections of the railway. Useful links

RAIB report – Track worker struck by a road-rail vehicle at Braybrooke, 6th February 2024[3] Safety Alert – On Track plant collision 3/5/21[4] RAIB Report – Collision between a train and an object on the line at Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, 25th April 2024[5]

Book a meeting with Onwave’s rail expert Andy Mehaffey here.[6]

Download article[7]

References

1. ^ Matthew Wilson (www.linkedin.com)
2. ^ OWL (www.onwave.com)
3. ^ RAIB report – Track worker struck by a road-rail vehicle at Braybrooke, 6th February 2024 (www.gov.uk)
4. ^ Safety Alert – On Track plant collision 3/5/21 (safety.networkrail.co.uk)
5. ^ RAIB Report – Collision between a train and an object on the line at Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, 25th April 2024 (www.gov.uk)
6. ^ Book a meeting with Onwave’s rail expert Andy Mehaffey here. (meetings-eu1.hubspot.com)
7. ^ Download article (news.railbusinessdaily.com)