Emerging Dimensions of Railway Safety

1. Emerging Dimensions of Railway Safety Dinesh Mohan Transportation Research & Injury Prevention Programme Indian Institute of technology Delhi

3. The present situation Source : Ministry of Railways, Govt. of India. Source : Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 544, dated 28.07.2006 Good news, in time and technology management! IIT Delhi March 14

4. Number of Persons Killed and Injured According to Nature of Railways Accidents in India Source : Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Govt. of India IIT Delhi March 14

5. FATALITIES ASSOCIATED WITH INDIAN RAILWAYS - 2004 Source: National Crime Record Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs ? ? Ministry of Statistics Total fatalities: 2,963 IIT Delhi March 14

6. FATALITIES ASSOCIATED WITH INDIAN RAILWAYS - 2004 Ministry of Home Affairs 20,419 - 2,963 Ministry of Statistics = 17,456 Not investigated since they are not “consequential” If we reduced “consequential” accidents by 100% we would still have > 17,000 Indians dead annually Possible disabled ~ 40,000 – 60,000 Serious injury ~ 200,000 Emerging Dimensions of Railway Safety ??? IIT Delhi March 14

7. Modern society, railway safety, and rights of citizens • Indian constitution guarantees the right to life to all its citizens irrespective of “fault” • Mobility and safety is therefore a fundamental right of any modern citizen • It is the responsibility of institutions to resolve any conflicts between the goals of mobility and safety within their domain of operation • It is crucial for all stakeholders to consider the needs of the most vulnerable • There is a collective responsibility for preventing injuries and deaths due to any cause irrespective of the fault of a railway employee or technology IIT Delhi March 14

8. The Zero VisionOctober 1997, Road Traffic Safety Bill, Swedish Parliament • “The scientific basis of the zero vision differs from the usual approach to safety in human-machine systems: designing a system to minimize the number of events that cause injury. Instead, the zero vision is based on the notion of "allowing" these incidents to occur, but at a level of violence that does not threaten life or long-term health” • “In the zero vision, the entire transport system must be designed to accommodate the individual who has the worst protection and the lowest tolerance of violence. No event must be allowed to generate a level of violence that is so high that it represents an unacceptable loss of health for that vulnerable individual.” • “The responsibility for every death or loss of health in the road transport system rests with the person responsible for the design of that system. This is the ethical basis for realizing the zero vision.” IIT Delhi March 14

9. Safety management:complex and multi-disciplinary Source: Safety Principles and Guidance, Office of Rail Regulation, UK. IIT Delhi March 14

10. Safety management: complex and multidisciplinary Source: Claire Dickinson. CROSS-CUTTING TOPIC STRATEGY: HUMAN FACTORS. 2007-08 to 2009-10. Office of Rail Regulation, UK. IIT Delhi March 14

11. IIT Delhi 2005

12. Godhra Coach Comparison coach Results The burnt coach IIT Delhi 2007

13. Damage mapping of the coach IIT Delhi 2007

14. Injuries No serious burn injuries among survivors. Therefore, most escaped before fire serious All burn injuries on upper part of body Majority inhalation injuries No one burnt on lower part of body All fatal cases (58) completely charred. Fatalities among those who fell unconscious and could not escape IIT Delhi 2007

15. Probable escape routes IIT Delhi 2006

16. Emerging issues • Expertise needed: • Mechanical engineering • Injury epidemiology • Polymer chemistry & materials • Thermodynamics and fire • Forensic science • Crowd mechanics • etc. • Carriage design • Emergency response • Preservation of evidence • Institutional arrangements for safety research IIT Delhi March 14

17. Institutional arrangements Need for establishment of • National Railway Safety Research Institute (NRSRI) – multidisciplinary, at least 50% staff permanent with research qualifications • Endowed chairs in research institutions for independent basic and futuristic research on railway safety in coordination with NRSRI IIT Delhi March 14

18. National Railway Safety Research Institute (NRSRI) Must be independent of investigation and standards enforcement agencies Safety research – institutional linkages and training Laws, operations and management Capacity Building User behaviour strategies, public awareness education, conferences/workshops Designing, setting standards and conducting audits IIT Delhi March 14

19. Finally • Blaming the victim or one employee is the most common response to an accident. This cannot result in optimal or scientific solutions • Multidisciplinary / multifactorial approach essential for safety promotion • Everyone has the right to information about safety problems and the level of safety of any component, product, action or service within the rail transport system • Everyone has the right to expect systematic and continuous improvement in safety: any stakeholder within the rail transport system has the obligation to undertake corrective actions following the detection of any safety hazard that can be reduced or removed IIT Delhi March 14