Improper Work Instructions behind Tochigi Fatal Train Accident

Tokyo, Sept. 30 (Jiji Press)--A supervisor failed to give advance instructions on the positions of railway lookouts and evacuation locations, in violation of internal safety rules, in an August accident that killed four workers during weeding operations at a station in Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture, Tobu Railway Co. said in an interim report Wednesday.

The report was submitted to the Kanto District Transport Bureau of the transport ministry the same day.

According to Tobu Railway, its safety rules required a work supervisor from Tobu Construction Co., a Tobu Railway affiliate based in Nikko, Tochigi, to serve as the site supervisor and instruct the railway lookouts where to stand and workers where to evacuate.

According to the interim report, the supervisor had no experience in operations involving moving along railway tracks.

The supervisor therefore effectively left instructions to a superior at Tobu Construction, who happened to be at the site despite being off duty, while the supervisor took photographs for record-keeping purposes.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]