SAFETY ALERT – NRA19-07 WORKING SAFELY NEAR LEVEL CROSSINGS

Recent incidents have highlighted the increased risk during work near to level crossings.

On 13 March 2019 a concrete lorry making a delivery to a construction site near to Mucking Automatic Half Barrier (AHB) level crossing in Essex was involved in a near miss with a passenger train.

Site staff beckoned the lorry onto the crossing after the sequence started.

It stopped on the crossing, trapped by the lowered barrier, before reversing into the construction site when construction staff manually lifted the barrier just before the train passed.

RAIB are investigating the incident.

In each case, construction work close to the automatic level crossing did not properly consider the railway risk as trains approached.

In February 2019 while installing red light cameras at Richborough AHB in Kent, site staff parked a vehicle close to the crossing, restricting the partially closed road across the level crossing.

This risked road vehicles blocking back onto the crossing.

A further incident occured on 2 May 2019 at West Bank Hall AHB level crossing in Yorkshire during road resurfacing.

A tarmac lorry reversed onto the crossing and removed the downside barrier after the sequence started when a train approached.

The freight train was able to stop just before the crossing.