1 Introduction
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Platform
Safety
The facts and RSSB
your
roleTrain Interface Awareness
l Platform
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RSSB l Platform Train Interface Awareness
Contents
1Introduction
5
2
Accidents at the platform edge
7
3
Types of accidents on the platform
8
4
Who is most at risk?
11
5
Behaviours to keep an eye on
13
6
Passenger knowledge and beliefs15
7
When do accidents at the platform edge happen?17
8
What affects passenger behaviour?
9
How can these things affect passenger behaviour?20
18
10 What can I do? 22
11 Helping people with disabilities
24
12Answers
26
13 Further reading
29
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RSSB l Platform Train Interface Awareness
1 Introduction
In the last five years, 19 people have been killed and
over 7000 injured around the edge of station platforms.
Accidents on the platform are the biggest fatality risk for
passengers on the railway. These accidents can happen
when getting on or off a train or even when there is no
train stopped at the platform.
A cross industry strategy to reduce injuries at the
platform edge was published in 2015. This strategy was
informed by recent research looking at:
• The size of the problem.
• The causes of accidents on platforms.
• The characteristics of people most likely to have
an accident.
This booklet has been produced by RSSB to share some
of those facts with you, highlight your role in reducing
injuries on the platform and help you to provide safe
travel for passengers. It is for anyone who has the
opportunity to interact with and/or influence passengers,
such as staff working in stations and those responsible
for dispatch.
Any member of staff could prevent an accident by
looking out for situations with the potential to result in
an accident and taking simple actions to help prevent it.
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RSSB l Platform Train Interface Awareness
2 Accidents at the platform edge
Our research has highlighted a number of key facts
about platform edge accidents1.
• Taking into account non-fatal injuries, the total
amount of risk to people around the platform edge is
the equivalent of nearly 13 fatalities each year.
• On average, 4 people are killed at the platform edge
each year.
• Alighting from the train appears to be more
hazardous than boarding a train.
• There is just as much risk when there is no train at the
platform than when there is a train at the platform.
• Harm is not limited to passengers. Three members of
the public (people visiting stations for reasons other
than travel) were killed in the last five years and 35
were injured.
1
Data taken from the RSSB Safety Risk Model
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3 Types of accidents on the platform
Here is a list of the common types of accidents that
happen around the platform edge, according to our
research. Being aware of these accident types can help
you to further recognise the risks on your platform(s).
Letter
Accident type
Fall between stationary train & platform
Fall from platform onto track
Struck by moving train when on platform
Fall between moving train and platform
Other injury while boarding train
(e.g. fall into train)
Other injury while alighting
(e.g. alight and hit by something)
Fall from platform and struck by train
Passenger trapped in train door
G
8
Third rail electric shock
RSSB l Platform Train Interface Awareness
The pie chart shows the amount of harm that is
associated with each accident type.
What percentage of harm do you think is associated with
each type of accident? Fill in the table (previous page)
with the letter that you think corresponds to the correct
part of the pie chart. One example is completed for you.
Remember that lots of accidents with minor
injuries cause an equivalent amount of harm to
one big accident with more serious injuries.
The amount of harm caused by different types of
accidents at the platform edge between 2010-2014
G
I
H 5%
A
6%
22%
7%
F
10%
B
E
13%
11%
D
13%
C
13%
The
answers
are at
the back
of the
booklet.
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4 Who is most at risk?
An accident can potentially happen to anyone at any
time. However, there are patterns in the accident
statistics that show us who is most at risk. Being aware
of these patterns can help you to recognise who might
need help on your station.
Here are some facts from the research:
• Anyone who is intoxicated is at risk on the platform.
• Women have more accidents than men while
boarding and alighting, especially women over 50.
• Men have more accidents while no train is present
than women. Intoxicated men aged 16 – 30 are
especially at risk in this situation.
• People over 70 years old, especially men, are more at
risk of accidents than younger people.
• People who are not regular users of the railway
are more at risk than commuters as are people
with suitcases, pushchairs, carrying bikes or other
baggage.
• People who have impairments, especially visual, are
more at risk on the platform.
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5 Behaviours to keep an eye on
Sometimes people behave in ways that increase their
chance of having an accident at the platform edge and
our research has identified a number of these behaviours.
Here are some behaviours to look out for:
• Waiting, walking or sitting very near the platform edge.
• Leaning on the train.
• Not paying attention to surroundings because of a
distraction (e.g. a phone, tablet, headphones or a
child).
• Trying to get on or off the train too late when the
doors are closing.
• Running or rushing in general.
• Hesitating or looking around as if lost
• Looking for an item dropped on the track or by the
platform edge.
• Struggling with luggage, a pushchair or other heavy/
awkward baggage.
• Being unsteady on their feet for example due to
intoxication and/or an impairment.
• Messing about.
If you see someone behaving like this, think about
asking them to stop and/or helping them if needed.
You might prevent an accident.
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6 Passenger knowledge and beliefs
Unfortunately, we cannot rely on people to know what
is and is not safe to do on a platform. Don’t expect
that passengers will have the same knowledge that
you do about the rail system and how to use it safely.
Our research shows that most passengers think
behaviours that put them at risk, such as standing
very close to the platform edge, are safe and socially
acceptable.
Many passengers have wrong expectations about
how the train doors will operate. They may expect the
doors to behave like a lift and reopen if something is
trapped in them. This means a person with clothing,
a bag or part of their body trapped in the train doors
may not immediately try and pull themselves free.
They believe the doors will automatically re-open
before the train departs.
In your role you need to help look after passengers even
when they don’t look after themselves.
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RSSB l Platform Train Interface Awareness
7 When do accidents at the
platform edge happen?
Accidents can happen at any time but our research
suggests they are more frequent at certain times:
• More accidents happen at the platform edge at the
weekend.
• Accidents involving people who have been drinking
are most common after 8pm.
• Accidents involving people who have not been
drinking are most common during day time off peak
travel.
• In general, more accidents happen at the platform
edge in summer than at other times of the year.
• Boarding and alighting accidents increase when the
weather is wet and icy.
Being aware of these times can help you to recognise
when the risk of an accident may be greater at your
platform(s).
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8 What affects passenger behaviour?
How people behave is their choice but it is influenced
by lots of factors. These could be things at the
platform edge and also things passengers experience
before they even get to the platform.
The design of the station environment and the rail
operation can positively or negatively influence
passenger behaviour. It is our responsibility to provide
a safe environment that does not promote behaviours
that increase the chance of having an accident.
Here are some examples of factors from our research
that have an influence:
Large gap
Announcements
Confusing information
Change to timetable
Hustle alarm
Crowding
Whistle
Service disruption
Short dwell time
Queues
Narrow platform
Infrequent trains
Yellow line
Low capacity See how many of these factors you can find opposite:
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RSSB l Platform Train Interface Awareness
E L B A T E M I T O T E G N A H C Z M C
H N W H Z O O Q S H C E B N O O V S O H
A R O N A R R O W P L A T F O R M N G U
A N R I E S E W K I L Q M S E C F I N S
D X N N T L N Z J O C B T E G U H A I T
H B P O T P S U W M S J M C S T P R D L
P Y Y S U Y U C A B S I H I I L C T W E
Z A I Y O N A R B K T X N C C K T T O A
L H G R Z P C L S L M G V F U K H N R L
W K B E A I M E L I I J V L E E W E C A
C C A C G S P E M N D V J C N E H U U R
H K I D U R W X F E D E N L Y D F Q F M
W T S X M D A O M X N L C N S N A E X R
Y U D A T W R L R E A T U I K V U R O B
D I B R P M N F E A J S S E V W J F L U
U S O D A E N I L W O L L E Y R U N T B
W H S T Z X C Z N I R Y A W C T E I O P
S F I R X M B Q X G U V I Y C A R S I V
N O Q U E U E S M E R X S X N O L N K B
N Y R K Z R D H U Y J S L M L L K M H Z
The answers are at the back of the booklet.
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9 How can these things affect
passenger behaviour?
Imagine yourself in a passenger’s shoes, think about
how each of these factors might influence your
behaviour if you were using the railway to travel for
something important to you. Fill in your thoughts in the
table below, we have given a couple of examples:
Factors
How it might influence how
someone acts
Large gap
People could need longer to get
on and off the train and could fall
into the gap
Confusing
information
Hustle alarm
Whistle
Short dwell time
Narrow platform
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RSSB l Platform Train Interface Awareness
Factors
How it might influence how
someone acts
Yellow line
Announcements
Could give people clear
information that allows them to
walk to the platform in good time
Change to
timetable
Crowding
Limited space on the platform
could make people stand closer to
the edge
Service
disruption
Infrequent trains
Queues
Low capacity
If you notice anything at your station that you think
might be encouraging risky passenger behaviour then
report it, you might prevent an accident.
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10 What can I do?
Everyone that works on the railway can contribute to
safety. People in a safety critical role have an obvious
part to play but accidents at the platform edge can be
the result of actions, behaviours and decisions taken
by passengers long before reaching the platform edge.
Therefore, staff action taken at the ticket office, within
the station and/or at the gate line can really help to
influence passenger behaviour and potentially reduce
the occurrence of these incidents.
Think about what you can personally do alongside your
everyday work to help stop accidents at the platform
edge. The following are example actions our research
suggests can help.
Everyone working in the station:
• Maintain awareness and attention - look out for
people at risk and help them if you can, for example:
• Give directions.
• Give good information.
• Help them onto the train.
• Show them to a place to sit down.
• Provide and/or co-ordinate with other members
of staff to provide the assistance required.
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RSSB l Platform Train Interface Awareness
• Act to stop unsafe behaviours like standing too close
to the edge or running. This could be through talking
to the passenger and/or reporting behaviour to
another member of staff.
• Report accidents, incidents or near misses that occur
at the platform edge.
• Be aware of the station environment and discuss
any hazards or features that might be encouraging
unsafe behaviours with your manager.
Train drivers and train dispatch staff
• Follow procedures step-by-step every time.
• If responsible for train dispatch processes:
• Avoid distractions during the train safety check.
• If the dispatch process is stopped or
interrupted for any reason, start the process
from the beginning again.
• Check passengers have safely boarded and
alighted the train before closing the doors.
• Do a thorough visual check of the doors
before departing. Do not rely on interlock
indicators/lights to determine if it is safe to
depart. Door interlock can still be obtained
even if something or someone is trapped in
the doors.
• Try not to rush passengers on or off the train.
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11 Helping people with disabilities
People with disabilities can be at higher risk of accidents on
the platform. For some disabled people, their fear about
not being able to use the rail system safely and comfortably
stops them from travelling by rail.
Recent research has shown that only 9% of wheelchair users
and their carers are aware of the bookable travel assistance
facility. This means not all disabled passengers that come
to the station will be aware of how to complete their journey
safely and what facilities are available to them.
The main areas where disabled travellers find difficulties are
access to the station and platform, making connections and
travelling with luggage. You can help them by providing
information, reassurance or physical assistance.
• Remember some people might have a disability that you
cannot see, if someone looks like they might need help in
the station environment don’t hesitate to talk to them.
• Talk directly to any disabled person about if they need help
and how they would like you to help them e.g. ‘How would
you like me to help you?’
• Do your best to help disabled passengers undertake their
travel, even if they have not booked travel assistance. Do it
cheerfully and politely even if it seems like a hassle.
• Tell disabled passengers about the bookable travel
assistance service and give information about accessibility
(e.g. maps) if available.
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RSSB l Platform Train Interface Awareness
• Communicate with your colleagues at interchange stations
and the destination station. Tell them to expect any
customers who need help and pass on any relevant details
about what help is needed. You should do this even if
travel assistance has not been booked.
• Visually impaired passengers may need help to walk from
the station entrance to the correct platform and to board
the train.
Before providing physical assistance:
• Consider the risk to yourself and the disabled person arising
from equipment and manual handling.
• Don’t undertake any physical assistance tasks that you
have not been trained for or don’t have the proper
equipment for – ask a trained person to help instead.
• Follow all procedures relating to passengers using a
wheelchair including using correct and safe equipment. If
you are not sure of the proper procedures then discuss this
with your manager as soon as possible.
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12 Answers
The amount of harm caused by
different types of accidents
at the platform edge between
2010-2014
Page 8/9
G
H
6%
I
5%
F
10%
B
E
13%
11%
D
13%
Letter
26
A
22%
7%
C
13%
Accident type
B
F
E
I
Fall between stationary train & platform
D
Other injury while boarding train
(e.g. fall into train)
A
Other injury while alighting
(e.g. alight and hit by something)
C
H
G
Fall from platform and struck by train
Fall from platform onto track
Struck by moving train when on platform
Fall between moving train and platform
Passenger trapped in train door
Third rail electric shock
RSSB l Platform Train Interface Awareness
Factors that influence passenger behaviour
Page 18/19
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RSSB l Platform Train Interface Awareness
13 Further reading
If you would like to learn more about what the industry
is doing about platform risk or what else can be done
to reduce the risk then look at some of the resources
below. Some of these will require free registration to
gain access.
• The industry platform train interface strategy:
http://www.rssb.co.uk/Library/improving-industryperformance/2015-01-platform-train-interfacestrategy.pdf
• OPSWEB platform train interface section:
http://opsweb.co.uk/platform-train-interface-pti/thestrategy
• RSSB page on wayfinding and crowding including
links to good practice guides on management of
crowding:
http://www.rssb.co.uk/pages/about-rssb/wayfindingand-crowing.aspx
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• RSSB page on a research project about alcohol on the
railway including links to a good practice guide for
managing risks due to drunk passengers:
http://www.rssb.co.uk/pages/research-catalogue/
t704.aspx
• RSSB page on a research project for improving the
methods used to provide access to and from trains
for wheelchair users:
http://www.rssb.co.uk/pages/research-catalogue/
t759.aspx
• OPSWEB station safety resource centre:
http://opsweb.co.uk/resources-and-tools/stationsafety-resource-centre
RSSB l Platform Train Interface Awareness
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Email: enquirydesk@rssb.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3142 5300
Twitter: @RSSB_rail
Web: www.rssb.co.uk
RSSB, The Helicon
1 South
Place,
EC2M
2RBAwareness
RSSB London
l Platform Train
Interface
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