CEN/TC 256/SC 1/WG 39 - Safety protection on the track during work

This European Standard defines the activities related to work on or near the railway track and the associated competence profiles of persons who carry out these activities and defines procedures for assessing the competence.

This European Standard provides requirements and measures to deal with the significant and specific railway risks during works on or in proximity of the track and with common principles for the protection of fixed and mobile work sites with trains and/or machines circulating on the working track and trains circulating on the adjacent track(s). Railway risks and protection measures for access and egress to/from the work site are considered in the same way as railway risks and protection measures for work itself.
This European Standard is applicable to all operations related to work activities on rail guided systems. Infrastructure of metro, tram and other light rail systems is excluded from the scope ).
The following specific railway risks are taken into consideration:
—   Risk 1: Personnel being struck by a train or injured due to wind drag  from a train on open working track (safety of the worker);
NOTE 1   Risk 1 includes injuring of a worker by machines, material or equipment being struck by a train on the working track.
—   Risk 2: Personnel being struck by a train or injured due to wind drag from train on adjacent track (safety of the worker);
—   Risk 3: Personnel being struck by machine or train on blocked track (safety of the worker);
—   Risk 4: Machines, material or equipment being struck by a train on the adjacent track (safety of the operation/safety of the worker);
—   Risk 5: Personnel being electrified or electrocuted by fixed electrical equipment (safety of the worker).
NOTE 2   Risk 5 includes hazards caused by pantographs of passing trains.
This European Standard also provides requirements to the process of installing basic preventive measures when planning new infrastructure or installing corrective measures when adapting existing infrastructure.
This European Standard may be extended to third parties when it is considered appropriate and reasonable by the infrastructure manager, if one or more of the five significant risks described inside this standard, arise as a result of their activities in proximity of the track.

This European Standard defines minimum functional and non-functional requirements for developing a Track Warning Systems (TWS) to warn persons during their work on or nearby the track about the approaching of trains or rail vehicles using acoustical and visual TWS-Signals. These systems may also be able to influence the approaching of trains and rail vehicles by stoppage function.
This European Standard is applicable:
- to systems, sub-systems and components within TWS, including those containing software; in particular;
- to new TWS;
- to new integrations of systems, sub-systems and components into existing TWS;
- to modifications of TWS developed according to this standard.
For single warning units (e.g. simple electrical horns) it is recommended to use this standard, too.
This document does not deal with:
- hazards during the installation of the TWS caused by trains or rail vehicles on the lines;
- hazards caused by the improper use of TWS;
- hazards caused by the improper behaviour of persons working on or nearby the track;
- CO2-tyfone, human operated pressure signal horns, flags, detonators or machine warning systems according to UIC 644;
- national safety regulations to plan and operate TWS in track.

This European Standard deals with requirements for barriers to give users the possibility to prevent workers from entering the danger zone unintentionally by the use of such barriers.
This standard defines minimum requirements and test procedures for these barriers concerning the dimensions, the stability and electrical properties.
This standard also gives recommendations for the marking (visual demarcation line) where a person would enter the danger zone.
For combinations of barriers and TWS see also prEN 16704-2-1:2014.
This standard contains remarks for electrical hazards by a third rail.
This standard does not deal with:
- risk assessment for safety protection on the track during work;
- hierarchy of safety measure for safety protection on the track during work;
- safety measure to provide safe working and safe train operation in the area of a work site;
- national safety regulations to plan and operate barriers in track;
- safety regulations and additional requirements e.g. due to national or operational rules or negotiation between the user and the manufacturer;
- electrical hazards by different potential of different electrified circuits.

This European Standard provides requirements and measures to deal with the significant and specific railway risks during works on or in proximity of the track and with common principles for the protection of fixed and mobile work sites with trains and/or machines circulating on the working track and trains circulating on the adjacent track(s). Railway risks and protection measures for access and egress to/from the work site are considered in the same way as railway risks and protection measures for work itself.
This European Standard is applicable to all operations related to work activities on rail guided systems. Infrastructure of metro, tram and other light rail systems is excluded from the scope ).
The following specific railway risks are taken into consideration:
—   Risk 1: Personnel being struck by a train or injured due to wind drag  from a train on open working track (safety of the worker);
NOTE 1   Risk 1 includes injuring of a worker by machines, material or equipment being struck by a train on the working track.
—   Risk 2: Personnel being struck by a train or injured due to wind drag from train on adjacent track (safety of the worker);
—   Risk 3: Personnel being struck by machine or train on blocked track (safety of the worker);
—   Risk 4: Machines, material or equipment being struck by a train on the adjacent track (safety of the operation/safety of the worker);
—   Risk 5: Personnel being electrified or electrocuted by fixed electrical equipment (safety of the worker).
NOTE 2   Risk 5 includes hazards caused by pantographs of passing trains.
This European Standard also provides requirements to the process of installing basic preventive measures when planning new infrastructure or installing corrective measures when adapting existing infrastructure.
This European Standard may be extended to third parties when it is considered appropriate and reasonable by the infrastructure manager, if one or more of the five significant risks described inside this standard, arise as a result of their activities in proximity of the track.

This European Standard defines the activities related to work on or near the railway track and the associated competence profiles of persons who carry out these activities and defines procedures for assessing the competence.

This European Standard provides requirements and measures to deal with the significant and specific railway risks during works on or in proximity of the track and with common principles for the protection of fixed and mobile work sites with trains and/or machines circulating on the working track and trains circulating on the adjacent track(s). Railway risks and protection measures for access and egress to/from the work site are considered in the same way as railway risks and protection measures for work itself.
This European Standard is applicable to all operations related to work activities on rail guided systems. Infrastructure of metro, tram and other light rail systems is excluded from the scope ).
The following specific railway risks are taken into consideration:
—   Risk 1: Personnel being struck by a train or injured due to wind drag  from a train on open working track (safety of the worker);
NOTE 1   Risk 1 includes injuring of a worker by machines, material or equipment being struck by a train on the working track.
—   Risk 2: Personnel being struck by a train or injured due to wind drag from train on adjacent track (safety of the worker);
—   Risk 3: Personnel being struck by machine or train on blocked track (safety of the worker);
—   Risk 4: Machines, material or equipment being struck by a train on the adjacent track (safety of the operation/safety of the worker);
—   Risk 5: Personnel being electrified or electrocuted by fixed electrical equipment (safety of the worker).
NOTE 2   Risk 5 includes hazards caused by pantographs of passing trains.
This European Standard also provides requirements to the process of installing basic preventive measures when planning new infrastructure or installing corrective measures when adapting existing infrastructure.
This European Standard may be extended to third parties when it is considered appropriate and reasonable by the infrastructure manager, if one or more of the five significant risks described inside this standard, arise as a result of their activities in proximity of the track.

This European Standard defines the activities related to work on or near the railway track and the associated competence profiles of persons who carry out these activities and defines procedures for assessing the competence.