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CRIME PREVENTION & PASSENGER SAFETY


Most recently the number of cases with people using mobile phones, listening to music on portable electronic devices or otherwise distracted, has increased (see panel). All these factors, and other issues which emerge, will be studied together in an important strand of research into how a decision point can be indicated to pedestrians. This work is expected to take between one and two years to complete and is complementary to research projects into how to improve the signs at public road and private crossings.


Safety campaign calls for public to ‘lose your headphones’


Network Rail has launched a new safety campaign urging people to remove headphones at level crossings so they are not distracted from warnings about approaching trains.


The ‘Lose your Headphones’ campaign is using digital media to spread the safety message, with celebrity endorsement from rapper Professor Green.


This year, two people thought to have been wearing headphones have died at level crossing footpaths. In the past fi ve years, railway staff have reported 19 incidents where joggers, cyclists or pedestrians have crossed the railway wearing headphones, despite an


All in all the whole portfolio of research is designed to support Network Rail, train operators and highway managers to further reduce risk and successfully drive down the number of accidents at level crossings.


Michael Woods


FOR MORE INFORMATION Visit www.rssb.co.uk


approaching train.


Martin Gallagher, Network Rail’s head of level crossings said: “People wear headphones all the time nowadays; on the train, walking down the street, and even cycling or in the shops.


“We think though that there are times when it makes sense to stop the music and devote your full attention to where you’re going.


“Trains can travel up to 125mph on the main British rail network and even with safety warnings such as lights and signs at footpaths across the tracks, it’s easy to get distracted if you’re caught up with your favourite tune. If Professor Green is asking people to stop listening to his music just for a few minutes, we hope people will listen up, lose their


The benefi ts of liquid de-icers


Ensuring platforms and walkways are free from ice is critical for the effi cient operation of railway stations and passenger and staff safety during the winter months says Andy Eccles, product manager at Omex Environmental.


solids in terms of speed of action and lack of residues on treated surfaces. The Omex liquid de-icer, Isomex, is now available in 10 litre or 1,000 litre containers for use on the railway infrastructure. Isomex is a concentrated liquid, as used on many of the UK’s airports, offering corrosion-free and simple application. It leaves no residue on surfaces and is not carried into railway carriages, reducing the requirement for extra cleaning and the risk of potential complaints of smells.


F


ast and effective de-icing of railway platforms, stairwells, walkways and car parks is provided by a complete range of environmentally friendly de-icers now available from Omex Environmental Ltd, market leaders in ice control products.


Liquid de-icers offer improvements over


The existing solid de-icer available from Omex, Cryotech NAACR, is an easy-to-use, fl exible and high performance de-icer which is an ‘anhydrous grade’ sodium acetate supplied in spherical pellet form. This minimises dust, reduce compaction in storage and provide a more even spread pattern during application.


Unlike salt, it is completely non-corrosive and has been used on networks for a number of years. It contains no urea and does not produce smells of ammonia if carried into rail carriages by passengers.


Both products are manufactured according to strict quality control procedures and comply with relevant industry standards.


Omex Environmental Ltd is part of the Omex Group, whose activities span a wide range of speciality chemicals and industrial technologies distributed throughout the UK and countries around the world.


FOR MORE INFORMATION T: 01553 770092


rail technology magazine Aug/Sep 12 | 113


headphones, and not their lives.” Dr Bruno Fazenda from the Acoustics Research Centre at the University of Salford said: “Hearing is the only sense that can warn us of dangers we can’t see and when listening to music with headphones we become isolated and are less likely to hear sounds that might tell us of approaching dangers.


“It’s not just the volume of the music but also because the headphone itself blocks out ambient noise.


“There is also plenty of evidence which shows that when you are doing two activities at the same time, such as listening to music or texting and crossing a railway track, your attention gets divided in such a way that you might not notice an approaching train even if all the warning signals are there.”


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