Network Rail contractor quizzed over high rate of serious accidents

BAM Nuttall, a construction and engineering firm, has been asked to explain why serious accidents continue to occur in the work it does on projects for Network Rail. This follows a series of incidents including a contractor who suffered a crushed pelvis after doing work at Cardiff Central station. It is reported that Network Rail is going to take a hard line on any supplier which continues to have a bad safety record in the future.  According to the Office of Rail Regulation annual report on Safety Key Statistics published in September this ear, workforce casualties increased by 3.5% year on year to 6,040 in 2014, with major injuries increasing by 11% to 126 incidents for 2013-14. The regulator has decreed that £250 million will be made available to improve the safety and working conditions of people working on the rail network.

Paul McNeil, partner with Fieldfisher says "We welcome the news that Network Rail are holding these companies to account to ensure that they take every step to ensure the safety of the workforce. BAM Nuttall have just recently been fined by the Office of Rail Regulation after an incident that occurred in December 2010 so they really ought to be making sure that their health and safety procedures are in good order before more lives are ruined".

You can read more about this story in the Independent