Statement and Question in Parliament: Queensland Rail, Safety 10 Sep 2008

[ozbob]

From Queensland Parliament Hansard

Ministerial Statement: Queensland Rail, Workplace Safety

Hon. RJ MICKEL (Logan?ALP) (Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial
Relations) (10.01 am): I am determined to shine a spotlight on safety at QR like never before. We want
to ensure that everyone who travels with QR and everyone who works for QR gets home safely. Our
trains carry around 170,000 people each day, and they do it safely. We want to do everything we can to
ensure that the 15,000 people who work for QR are safe too.

At my very first meeting with the new QR CEO we were at one in agreeing that safety was our No.
1 issue. That is why I completely support Lance Hockridge?s approach to introducing an entirely new
safety culture at QR. The new CEO has made improving safety his top priority. Indeed, he told a rail
safety conference in February that?

QR has a strong culture built over more than 140 years. Many practices and perspectives have become entrenched. But to mythinking this cannot be an excuse for sub-standard safety performance. In this environment, it is going to be challenging to achieve step change improvement, but anything less than that is intolerable.

Let us be clear: QR has a big task ahead. In 2007-08 it paid out more than $17 million in workers
compensation claims. That is unacceptable, not just in financial terms but much more importantly
because of the impact it has on workers and their families. That is why when the new CEO
commissioned internationally recognised safety experts DuPont to improve safety, I supported it. In
February, Queensland Rail awarded DuPont a $24 million contract over four years to assess and
improve workplace safety with a focus on heading towards zero harm, and I supported it. This is a longterm investment in changing and improving QR?s safety culture.

I understand this increased focus on safety and the engagement of DuPont has ruffled some
feathers within QR, but safety must be improved further. There have been some safety improvements in
the last decade, but Queensland Rail has a long way to go. For example, in 1996-97 Queensland Rail?s
injury rate was 39.6 injuries for every million hours worked. In 2007-08 the rate had improved to 11
injuries per million hours worked. In terms of derailment, in 1996-97 there were 2.2 derailments for
every million train kilometres travelled. In 2007-08 the rate had improved to 0.81 derailments for
every million train kilometres travelled.

However, I want to make this crystal clear: despite the improvement in the last decade there are
still too many workplace accidents in Queensland Rail. There has been some success with the
reduction in QR?s lost time injury frequency rate in the past six months, but one workplace accident is
one too many and we expect Queensland Rail to lift its game. I want to work with the new CEO on
changing the culture of Queensland Rail and improving safety for employees and passengers.
Improving workplace health and safety is the type of partnership I want to have with everyone in
Queensland Rail.

Question without Notice

Queensland Rail, Safety

Miss SIMPSON: My question is to the minister for transport. In light of the leaked Queensland
Rail report showing management?s culture of safety breaches which is putting passengers and staff at
risk, I ask: has the minister turned a blind eye to what the report calls Queensland Rail?s ?laissez-faire?
attitude to safety, or was he ignorant of this report and the serious issues which have been happening
under his watch?

Mr MICKEL: I thank the member for the question. I know that she is new to the portfolio and
some of the issues are quite complex for anyone. As I said, there has been a culture in Queensland
Rail. What I would say to the honourable member is this: you are new to the portfolio. It is never my
intention as workplace health and safety minister, as a minister in charge of transport who is the
Queensland Rail regulator, to ever let an issue like Mindi go for example. Mindi highlighted to me what
needed to be done. As I said in the ministerial statement this morning, the first discussion I ever had with
the new CEO of Queensland Rail was about safety. It was about a culture. The report that the member
referred to was a leaked report admittedly, but it went to the heart of communication. It also had as its
title ?Zero Harm??zero harm because DuPont, which Queensland Rail commissioned, is an
international firm dedicated to safety.

As I said in the ministerial statement, I do not want to walk away from it. This has ruffled feathers.
It has ruffled feathers within QR and, I might say, it has ruffled feathers wider than that. But I was
determined: once you read that Mindi report, you have got to address a rail safety culture. You cannot
walk away from it. It is true that over the last decade those incidents have come down. The honourable
member referred to, I think, a report earlier about signals passed at danger. I would say this: the vast
majority of incidents are minor when drivers pass a signal by a small margin, creating no danger for the
train. I reaffirm that Queensland Rail has a proud passenger safety record?the best in the world?and
this government will ensure that that record will only get better. They are not my words; they were the
words of the previous minister, the honourable member for Gregory. And when did he say that? He said
that in April 1996.

This year we realised that there was still an issue with signals passed at danger, and I should
explain to the House what that means. It means any train that runs past a red light?for example, if you
are a motorist and you had a red light and your wheels went past the white line. What happens? We do
not turn a blind eye to it. For every one of those there is a full investigation. I wish that sometimes
applied in every other area of passenger transport. It does not apply to buses and it does not apply to
taxis and it does not apply to motorists. But we take these issues so seriously that they have to be
investigated and they are investigated fully. I notice the member said that we should have an
independent investigation. We have one every time a signal is passed. With regard to an independent
investigation, that is why we commissioned DuPont.


Miss Simpson: Systemic failures in the system.
Mr MICKEL: Sure, improvements are needed in the system. I do not walk away from that one
little bit. I expect?

Time expired.

[ozbob]

Further Ministerial Statement 11 September 2008  Queensland Parliament Hansard


Queensland Rail, Safety

Hon. RJ MICKEL (Logan?ALP) (Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial
Relations) (10.10 am): I welcome the debate and discussion this week about safety in Queensland Rail.

It is a key focus of mine and a key focus of the new CEO of Queensland Rail. For too long there has been an entrenched culture at QR that when it comes to safety near enough is good enough. Let me say this to the people who travel on QR services, the staff who work there and their families: near enough is not good enough; it is never good enough.

There is a clear choice here whether we break a 140-year-old culture or whether we stand still. We can have a smart and stronger QR that has a better safety culture or we can retreat with the forces fighting change. There is an entrenched culture in QR that needs to be addressed and needs to be changed. We are committed to doing it. We do not have another 140 years to address it. It needs to be addressed now and it is.

I would like to reassure the public that there are systems in both Queensland Transport?s rail safety regulator and workplace health and safety to oversee safety operations in Queensland Rail. Decisions about investigations and prosecutions are made independently of me?entirely at arm?s length from the minister.

As I told the House yesterday, while there have been some safety improvements in the last decade there still is a long way to go. Ten years ago QR?s injury rate was almost four times higher than it is now. There is still more work to do, which is why in February Queensland Rail commissioned recognised safety experts DuPont to improve safety.

I suspect we will continue to see a concerted campaign to disrupt Queensland Rail?s renewed focus on safety. Addressing safety issues while at the same time restructuring the business is going to upset entrenched interests. I am aware that there are some people providing so-called leaks to the media?not about legitimate safety issues but about rumours and personal attacks on the CEO.

Undermining the CEO in this way improves rail safety for no-one. The state government and I stand squarely with the CEO in his efforts to improve safety and make Queensland Rail a better business, a safer business, and one that can look to the future with confidence.

[mje772003]

below is an email i got back from QR in June this year over some concerns i raised......


Our Ref: CLU-08-2289


Dear XXXXXX

Thank you for your comments lodged with TransLink in relation to the motorised scooters on board your train.

On behalf of QR Limited (QR) I would like to apologise for the frustration and inconvenience that these scooters may have caused.

As a general rule motorised scooters are not allowed on board QR Limited's trains.  The exception to this rule are mobility impaired persons who are reliant on these scooters as their primary form of transportation.  Unfortunately from your correspondence, I am unable to ascertain whether the persons in question, were able bodied or mobility impaired passengers.  In accordance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1991, QR must allow scooters for mobility impaired persons to travel.

Passengers with motorised scooters are requested to board in the fourth carriage and in the doorway closest to the guards door. For safety reasons, wherever possible other passengers are requested to enter and exit from the other doors as past experience highlights that injuries have occurred from the scooters being manoeuvred in the trains at stations.

In relation to your request for double decker trains like Sydney's State Rail has.  This idea has been suggested many times, unfortunately Brisbane's current rail infrastructure does not allow for these style of trains as our network comprises of several low tunnels. Please be assured that QR is working hard to address the issues caused by the heavily patronised train services and is currently taking delivery of several new trains.   

Thank you for making us aware of your concerns. QR values all feedback as it often opens avenues for areas that may be in need of attention.

Yours sincerely



Katrina Elder
Customer Relations Officer
PASSENGER SERVICES
           
27 June 2008

In all of this what about the Health and safety of other passengers trying to get past them  to safely get out the door without running the risk of tripping or something like that ? I don't care if the Scooters are on the train so long as they are not blocking the entrance for other passengers to get safely off the train.

Matt