The safety of passengers on the Sydney to Newcastle train line has been put at “high risk” by signal controllers “possibly” distracted playing games and shopping on their work computers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The issue has come to light after an Office of Transport Safety Investigations (OTSI) report tabled in NSW Parliament found a signaller had incorrectly allowed a Newcastle-bound train to enter a section of closed track in January last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Homebush-based signaller failed to properly block the track for scheduled maintenance work despite giving verbal assurances to a manager that they had done so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Although there was no fatality or serious injury on this day, this type of incident carries a high risk of collision between the train and workers or equipment,” the OTSI report says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report’s most damning finding was that “signallers using electronic devices, including using work computers for personal use, while operating the signal panel” was a “known issue”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The signaller’s direct manager at the Homebush rail control centre told investigators that it was common for informal warnings to be issued to signallers to stop using electronic devices for personal use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thirty per cent of signallers in the control centre had received formal warnings for breaching a policy on using personal devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The manager told OTSI there was a “widespread culture among signallers of using the work computer to access non-work-related applications and sites during their shift”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Newcastle Herald<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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