C9/2005R Freight car derailing and member of train crew injured at Tuupovaara on 31 December, 2005

On Saturday 31 December 2005 at 9.14 a.m., a shunting accident occurred in the Tuupovaara railway yard, in which a group of empty wagons for carrying wood products, being pushed by an engine, collided with a derailer, causing the derailment of the first wagon in the direction of travel. The shunting foreman, who was standing on the wagon’s left end step, was seriously injured after falling between the tracks and being hit by the left end step of the next wagon as he extricated himself from the moving wagons. The step dragged him for several metres before he was able to break free.

The accident occurred because the derailer had not been removed and the shunting foreman did not notice this in time. The non-removal of the derailer, in turn, was possible because the key could be removed from the derailer's safety lock even though the derailer had not been removed from the rail.

To prevent the occurrence of similar accidents, the Accident Investigation Board recommends that the safety lock's operation be altered in such a way that the safety key cannot be removed before the derailer has been removed from the rail. In addition, the Board recommends that greater attention be paid to safety measures for shunting workers during the ploughing of snow in rail yards.

C9/2005R Report (pdf, 0.85 Mt)

•Recommendation S239

•Recommendation S240