RO-1999-111

On Wednesday 26 May 1999, at approximately 0730 hours, a rake of empty log wagons was being propelled from the Kinleith railway yard into Carter Holt Harvey Limited's siding when the leading wagon hit the "bull-bars" of a logging truck parked foul of the running road. The remote control operator who was on the leading wagon jumped clear just prior to the collision but stumbled and fell against the wagon and was dragged for approximately 10 m before rolling clear. He received broken ribs and abrasions as a result of the accident. Causal factors were the positioning of the truck foul of the running road and the lack of adequate control of the shunt. Safety issues addressed in this report include the lack of a suitable integrated operational agreement for the site and the effectiveness of the current procedures, training, and compliance monitoring of shunting practices to ensure safe operation. Five safety recommendations were made to the operator.