Great Western Railway Fined £1 Million After Passenger's Tragic Death Highlights Safety Failings
A major rail operator, Great Western Railway (GWR), has been fined £1 million by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) after a 28-year-old passenger died when her head struck a tree branch while leaning out of a train window. The incident occurred on December 1, 2018, near Bath, and highlighted the need for proactive risk management by train operators.
According to the ORR, GWR was aware of the risks associated with droplight windows but had not implemented recommended safety measures at the time of the tragedy. Bethan Roper, a 28-year-old woman who was returning home from a Christmas shopping trip, suffered fatal injuries after placing her head outside a droplight window on that fateful day.
The ORR prosecuted GWR on the grounds that it was aware of the issue of droplight windows and had not yet implemented steps identified in a risk assessment undertaken two months before Ms Roper's death. In addition to the £1 million fine, GWR was also ordered to pay an additional £78,000.
The incident has sparked concerns about safety on Britain's railways. "This case highlights the importance of proactive risk management by train operators," said a spokesperson for the ORR. "We expect all rail companies to take steps to identify and mitigate risks, and to implement measures to prevent such incidents from happening in the future."
GWR has since implemented changes to its safety procedures, including installing protective screens on droplight windows. However, the incident has raised questions about the effectiveness of these measures and whether they are sufficient to prevent similar tragedies.
The ORR's investigation into the incident found that GWR had been aware of the risks associated with droplight windows for some time but had not taken adequate steps to address them. "We take the safety of our passengers very seriously, and we are committed to learning from this incident," said a spokesperson for GWR.
The fine imposed on GWR is one of the largest ever handed out by the ORR in relation to a rail company's breach of health and safety laws. The incident has also led to calls for greater scrutiny of rail companies' safety procedures and for more stringent regulations to be put in place to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
As the rail industry continues to grapple with the issue of safety, one thing is clear: the tragic death of Bethan Roper on December 1, 2018, was a wake-up call for train operators. The question now is whether the measures put in place by GWR and other rail companies are sufficient to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
This story was compiled from reports by BBC Business and BBC Business.
