Labour Research October 2010

Health & Safety Matters

Importance of guards

The rail union RMT says that the actions of a conductor underline the importance of having guards on trains, who have had safety training.

Candice Ong, despite being injured herself, requested emergency assistance and continued to evacuate passengers from a train derailed in a recent level-crossing collision in Suffolk.

The union says it is fighting a constant battle against the removal of guards by rail franchises “more worried about profit than safety”.