O-licence curtailed for maintenance failures
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Trackwork has had its licence curtailed due to its failure to review maintenance procedures after a wheel loss incident
By Roger Brown
NORTH EASTERN deputy traffic commissioner (TC) Elizabeth Perrett has curtailed the O-licence of rail maintenance firm Trackwork due to its failure to review maintenance procedures following a wheel loss incident.
After a public inquiry (PI), the deputy TC cut the firm’s authorisation from 25 vehicles and 25 trailers to 13 vehicles and 13 trailers indefinitely, and told the directors that the loss of two wheels from one of its trucks on the M18 motorway in April should have been a “catalyst” for a review of its vehicle maintenance procedures.
She also concluded that the repute of the company’s transport manager, James Bowes, had been severely tarnished by the failings.
Perrett was told about a Vosa investigation into Trackwork, which was carried out following the incident. It found that the company’s vehicle had been given a safety inspection the day before the wheel loss – and that two tyres had been replaced.
The Vosa examiner inspected the paperwork produced by Trackwork and reported that the relevant procedures and standards had been followed before the incident.
He also identified no mechanical defects in relation to the wheel losses.
However, the examiner conducted a further inspection of the operator’s remaining records and identified shortcomings in its maintenance procedures.
Some vehicles, the inspector reported, had missed routine safety inspections by two weeks, while paperwork relating to those inspections was incomplete.
He also noted that daily vehicle defect reports completed by drivers did not confirm whether the necessary repairs had been made.
The deputy TC was also told about prohibitions issued to the company’s vehicles, several of which related to brakes.
After hearing from Trackwork representatives at the PI, Perrett concluded that there had previously been no “management commitment” to ensure that all the maintenance systems were effective.
The deputy TC noted the firm’s failure to take action as a result of the wheel loss incident and the examiner’s visit, and added: “There is no getting away from the fact that a nil daily driver system has only just been introduced.
“It is only recently that the transport manager has begun checking all safety inspection records.
“Even a cursory glance at these records shows defects that a driver should have spotted, and yet there was no corresponding driver entry in his walk-around check list.” She continued: “I have questioned whether the transport manager and board have the will or the ability to run a compliant operation, but am prepared to accept the evidence that the transport side of the business will be given the same priority as other aspects of it.” Trackwork gave two undertakings relating to its licence: that it will have an external audit of its maintenance procedures carried out by the end of May 2013, and that its drivers’ records will be analysed independently.
Formal warning
The deputy TC also gave the firm a formal warning, and told the directors that any future problems could lead to more serious regulatory action.