7th Oct 2005 12:19
Balfour Beatty PLC07 October 2005 7 October 2005 THE HATFIELD RAIL ACCIDENT ========================== Balfour Beatty Rail Infrastructure Services (BBRIS) has been fined and orderedto pay costs following its plea of guilty to charges brought under Section 3 ofthe Health and Safety at Work Act in respect of the Hatfield rail accident. Hatfield was a tragedy and our thoughts remain with the bereaved families andwith those injured and otherwise affected by it. BBRIS, in entering its plea ofguilty, accepted inadequacies in its patrolling and inspection activities, forwhich it apologises. It is, however, clear that the accident arose as a result of a systemic failureof the industry as a whole. At no stage did BBRIS work outside the industrystandards on patrolling and inspection as they were constituted before theaccident. At the time of the accident, the phenomenon of gauge corner cracking(GCC) was little understood. Immediately following the accident, over 2,400 GCCsites were identified for testing and rerailing and the standards governing itsmanagement were radically revised. There were also failings to rerail Welham Green Curve and to grind the rail in atimely manner, but these did not form any part of the prosecution case. Bothactions were recommended by BBRIS many months before the accident. Theresponsibility for rerailing and grinding lay with Railtrack and othercontractors. At the trial, Railtrack accepted that it failed to ensure the sitewas rerailed on time. The detailed inquiry into the causes of the accident carried out by the RailSafety and Standards Board, completed a year after the derailment, confirmed amultiplicity of contributory factors. The Balfour Beatty Group has a strong safety culture and tightly managed safetysystems. The health and safety of the public and of its employees is paramountin everything that the company does. The company will be considering thejudgement in detail. ENDS Enquiries to:Tim SharpTel: 020 7216 6884www.balfourbeatty.com Notes to Editors---------------- A press release dated 8 October 2001 can be found on the RSSB website(www.rssb.co.uk) on the Hatfield Inquiry Report setting out the report'sfindings and main recommendations. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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