Watchdog Highlights Railway Safety Importance Following Near Miss

Railway track where a near miss highlighted the importance of near miss reporting for rail worker safety

In Ireland, a railway safety watchdog has highlighted the importance of workplace safety following a near miss in July that saw a couple of rail workers come close to a fatal collision with an approaching train. The two railway workers were allegedly just seconds away from being struck by a train which is reported to have been travelling at 108km/h.

“Those responsible for planning protection arrangements must be trained, assessed and competent to do so,” The Railway Accident Investigation Unit (RAIU) said. This near miss is one of nine in total that are said to have happened between 2023 and 2025.

The incident took place in a red zone working area on the railway line, which means that it remained open while the work took place. The two workers on the line only managed to reach safety with approximately five seconds before the train arrived at their location.

It calls to mind once again just how important it is for companies to prioritise safe working conditions for workers. And it acts as a reminder of just how important precautions including job hazard analysis, field level risk assessments, and incident reporting all are individually and together.

FlexManager’s Health & Safety modules include a suite of offerings that are designed to help you understand and engage in best practices that can benefit your team in the field. These modules are intended to help you remain compliant, so that you can prove you took the necessary actions to assess hazards and reduce risk.

Book a demo with FlexManager today to discover more about our Health & Safety-focused modules, such as Injury Manager, Risk Assessments, Safety Observations, and more. When you do, you’ll discover how to empower your business with a single, centralised platform.

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