Basis for Recommendation
There were two incidents of track access, involving non-urgent inspections (to civil assets and site surveys) and one incident of track access responding to a fault. Currently, Red Zone working (lines open to traffic) is regularly used by TSCs for carrying out ad-hoc tasks and inspections with no oversight of the SSOW selected or the planning of the SSOW.
The RAIU consider that IÉ-IM should identify these types of track access.
Recommendation
IÉ-IM, in terms of track access, are to carry out the following:
- Identify access opportunities on all lines, including new access opportunities, for example T3 Possessions, where possible;
- Identify work that needs to be done on or near the lines;
- In light of 1 & 2, assess what work can be done in the available access, taking into account all other risks (including, and not limited to, safety of the line) and the risk control hierarchy (to ensure Red Zone working is the last choice);
- Provide a requirement for the issuance of necessary management and supervisory authorisations, to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, that the identified work is done in the identified access opportunities.