Rail Safety Week 2022

Traffic Diversions Group (TDG) are pleased to support Rail Safety Week (RSW) 2022.

RSW is an annual community awareness week held in Australia and NZ, designed to engage the community in safe rail practices. This year’s RSW commences today and runs through to 14 August 2022, marking its 17th year!

Working together on rail safety is very important, with an average of 83 fatalities each year, around 27 people injured each year at level crossings and 1,880 near hits at level crossings on the Australian rail network. There is over 165,000 employees across the rail sector and 900 organisations with a focus on rail. TDG and numerous other organisations will unite to promote RSW, as fatalities, incidents and near hits on the network can cause severe and lasting trauma to the rail employees involved, and the majority of these incidents can be avoided.

TDG’s Operations Coordinators and Training & Compliance Officers will be visiting work sites this week with some key messages;

• A moment of distraction can change your life forever.

• Speak up when it comes to keeping you & your workmates safe.

• Turn down distractions.

• Wellbeing is part of safe working culture. Remember to keep the conversation going by asking R U OK?

• Look Up. Speak Up. Stay Rail Safe.

This year’s RSW campaign, STAND BACK. LOOK UP. STAY RAIL SAFE features TrackSAFE’s Rail Safety Ambassador, Paralympian Vanessa Low OAM, who is a rail accident survivor. When Vanessa was 15, she fell from a crowded platform and into the path of an oncoming train. Vanessa lost both her legs in the accident. In addition to public focused messaging, Vanessa reminds the frontline rail workforce of being aware of their surroundings, creating a safe working environment, & encouraging workers to speak up if they are concerned about their own, or a workmates safety.