Network Rail has teamed up with the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) to help keep farmers and their workers safe at level crossings at harvest time.
In the last five years, there have been over 100 near-miss incidents at crossings on farmland and four instances of trains striking farm vehicles. Last year saw the number of near misses jump from 15 to 22 incidents, a reversal on years of steady decline.
The new campaign will remind farmers of the critical safety rules – such as using crossing telephones to call the signaller before crossing the tracks – and provides them with helpful materials to guide their workforce and regular farm visitors. These include an instructional booklet designed to be understood by the many casual workers that work on farms, particularly in harvest season, whatever their nationality or first language.
The campaign will be delivered locally by Network Rail’s 100 level crossing managers, who will be working closely with their local NFU branches to deliver a programme of education for farmers and their workers. This will be carried out over the coming months, targeting those working this harvest season and next year’s.
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