Who’s responsible for clearning up the aftermath of a fatality?

Hello everyone,

I’m new to the forums.

I have a question that is on the sensitive side.

Who is responsible for cleaning up the aftermath of someone who has jumped in front of a train?

I’m applying for a commercial guard position and in time a drivers position and want to know how much involvement these positions have in the clear up.

additional

please could those that respond see the stat their roles within the rail network.

Keith Hustings said:

Hello everyone,

I’m new to the forums.

I have a question that is on the sensitive side.

Who is responsible for cleaning up the aftermath of someone who has jumped in front of a train?

I’m applying for a commercial guard position and in time a drivers position and want to know how much involvement these positions have in the clear up.

Click to expand...

No responsibility for clear up. Drivers and guards will be relieved as soon as possible after these incidents. Clean up is down to the police, network rail and specialist private cleaning contractors.

Bodies/parts are BTP, coroners office & contracted undertakers.

Thanks for the information.

can I ask how you obtained this information?

I would like to reference it

Keith Hustings said:

Hello everyone,

I’m new to the forums.

I have a question that is on the sensitive side.

Who is responsible for cleaning up the aftermath of someone who has jumped in front of a train?

I’m applying for a commercial guard position and in time a drivers position and want to know how much involvement these positions have in the clear up.

Click to expand...

It would be a lie to suggest you will never see anything nasty on the railway if you work in a front line role. It happens. However the same can happen if you're walking down the road.

If it occurs you'll be supported and you don't have to do anything you don't want to. You're certainly not expected to clean up after it.

Equally I've known train crew do some heroic things in awful circumstances. I'd go as far as to say one of our drivers is an actual hero - he hit someone at reasonably low speed, not knowing if they had survived or not and went back with the first aid kit leaving his guard in charge of the train. He saved her life.

You can't live life focussing on the negatives - if you're applying for these kind of roles you must be prepared to deal whatever they throw at you.

Keith Hustings said:

Thanks for the information.

can I ask how you obtained this information?

I would like to reference it

Click to expand...

Probably through experience of working in the industry, but they might not wish to identify their identity and/or employer, so a reference might be difficult.

Thank you,

I’m trying to convince my wife that the position I’m applying for doesn’t have direct involvement after an incident. All the information that I’m being given is already backing up what I already suspected.

Keith Hustings said:

Thank you,

I’m trying to convince my wife that the position I’m applying for doesn’t have direct involvement after an incident. All the information that I’m being given is already backing up what I already suspected.

Click to expand...

Without wishing to be too graphic on a public forum dead bodies have been known to enter the inside of a train after an incident. While it's not your job to complete the clean up operation no one could ever promise you'll never come into direct contact with something nasty.

However you would be extremely unlucky, it's quite a rare event.

Exactly. Anything could happen and if you are in a job with a duty of care, you may be in a position of responsibility until others arrive. I wouldn't let that put me off personally but there can't be any guarantees...

Keith Hustings said:

Thank you,

I’m trying to convince my wife that the position I’m applying for doesn’t have direct involvement after an incident. All the information that I’m being given is already backing up what I already suspected.

Click to expand...

You catogorically will not be required or even asked to help in the removal of human remains after a fatality as either driver or guard. As others have pointed out if your train was involved you will be relieved as soon as possible and considering the potential trauma (especially as a driver) it will be the least of your worries who is responsible for the removal of said remains.

However, it is the nature of the job that you may one day see unpleasant things.

As ambulance crew I’ve been to this sort of tragedy in the past. Horrendous.

option said:

Bodies/parts are BTP, coroners office & contracted undertakers.

Click to expand...

You can add the MOMs into the hunting party as they are often first of the NR staff on scene.

I realise that the OP specifically asked about 'clearing up' but there are all sorts of unpleasant situations that you can come up against. It may be helpful to put a more constructive slant on things by suggesting that you train as a first aider.

I wasn't a guard but was in front line operations and had to deal with things like someone next to me being electrocuted on the third rail; having to extract an injured passenger from underneath a train (assisted by a guard); having elderly passengers running for trains drop dead with heart attacks and searching the line (by train, under extreme caution, assisted by a guard) after reports of a 'body' and discovering someone who had fallen 30 feet down the side of a vertical cutting and was injured.

Being able to apply potentially life-saving techniques can at least enable you to feel that you have 'done everything you can' (but be ready for the fact that they don't always work).

Best wishes for your career.

I understand that I may be called upon to deal with a various number of situations. This is why I’ve already undertaken a level 3 first aid at work course.

Keith Hustings said:

I understand that I may be called upon to deal with a various number of situations. This is why I’ve already undertaken a level 3 first aid at work course.

Click to expand...

Sounds like you have just the right attitude to make a great member of a great industry.

As an ex-cop I had the horrific experience of attending railway fatalities usually if it was a suicidal person the police were actively looking for - most deaths on lines are people who sadly feel their lives are not worth living anymore.

Generally if a fatality does occur, it is treated as a crime scene with forensics taking photographic evidence. This is not necessarily because someone is to blame and the powers that be are wanting a scapegoat. It is done to secure evidence for the coroner when an inquest takes place.

From my own experience, the body is generally removed by duty undertakers who will attend the scene. Without sounding too graphic, if the body of the deceased is not intact, then forensic scientists together with pathologists will help remove key parts. A police search team usually working with track operatives from Network Rail will conduct a full speculative search of the track for further evidence of body tissue or any disgarded personal items like wrist watches, wallets, mobile phones if anything is left in tact. Once the investigation team has been stood down, the track workers will get authorisation to clean any extensive blood loss or tissue with full cleaning equipment so train services on the line can resume.

As for train staff (drivers, conductors, train managers) from my knowledge, you are removed from the scene along with the passengers once it is safe to do so. I'm not too sure if drivers have to provide statements to the police - it is extremely traumatic for any driver and I'm sure there will be regulations in place layed down by the Unions which protects the drivers but I would still think drivers will have to provide some sort of routine report to a line manager. As I wasn't British Transport Police I can't state what the exact procedure is for drivers giving their account to police.

I am lead to believe some train drivers can go a full thirty years without experiencing a death on the line while other drivers are sadly unfortunate to experience two or more deaths during their career.

One suicide is one to many in my opinion - it devastates love one's, railway staff and people like me who had to deal with the aftermath more than once.

Like another member has said - a bus driver or HGV driver are more likely to be faced with a fatality so please don't let it put you off a rewarding career in the rail industry.

Thank you for all your responses.