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GWR updates risk assessment after shunter struck by train
Cristina Lago Deputy Editor
Great Western Railway (GWR) has updated its depot protection risk assessment after a worker was seriously injured when they were struck by a train.
The accident happened at St Philips Marsh depot, Bristol, on 26 September 2023.
A train exiting the depot’s main shed building was travelling at double the speed limit (16kmh instead of 8kmh) when it struck a shunter who was walking on the tracks.
A Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report into the accident said the shunter did not hear the train start to move behind them, and only became aware of the train as it caught up with them.
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Forward-facing CCTV image of the shunter walking towards the main shed building (Image: Great Western Railway)
After hearing the train strike something, the driver applied the brakes and stopped the train. The shunter, who had sustained serious injuries, was treated by paramedics and then taken to hospital.
The RAIB report found that an underlying factor of the accident was that GWR had not effectively controlled the risk of a shunter being struck by a train outside of a shed building. Another underlying factor was that GWR’s assurance processes had not identified that train movements within the depot were exceeding the speed limit.
Following the accident, GWR updated its risk assessment and introduced new control measures to specifically manage the risks to staff associated with trains moving outside the main shed building. GWR also addressed the deficiencies found with its assurance processes for monitoring whether drivers were complying with the speed limits on its depots.
The November/December 2025 issue of Construction Management magazine is now available to read in digital format.
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