The watchman tasked with alerting maintenance workers of oncoming trains was focused on other work when a MARTA train struck an employee earlier this year, according to a preliminary investigative report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The employee needed a below-the-knee amputation as a result, the NTSB reported.
The preliminary report offers more details than were previously known about the Oct. 19 incident, which happened just north of the Arts Center station on the Gold and Red lines. MARTA initially said only that a train “made contact” with an employee who suffered a non-life-threatening foot injury.
The NTSB routinely investigates rail and other transportation incidents and issues two reports on each. The preliminary report details the agency’s initial findings. NTSB’s final report, which will detail the probable cause of the crash along with any contributing factors, is not expected for another one to two years.
A MARTA spokeswoman said the transit agency cannot discuss the incident while the investigation is open and declined to answer many general questions about how this type of work is supposed to occur. The spokeswoman said MARTA is reviewing its maintenance procedures.
“Although the NTSB did not require it, MARTA is currently evaluating the procedures involved in this incident and will make any needed changes to ensure the safety of our employees,” spokeswoman Stephany Fisher said in an email.
The injured maintenance worker was part of a four-person crew that was repairing broken lights that are supposed alert to an oncoming train, according to the NTSB preliminary report. Three workers were working on or near the tracks while a fourth was in the train control room.
Credit: Courtesy of the National Transportation Safety Board
Credit: Courtesy of the National Transportation Safety Board
Several forms of worker protection were in place, including notifying train operators of maintenance and using a watchman lookout — a crew member who is responsible for warning others about approaching trains, the report said. The crew was also using train approach lights that are activated when a train is detected, according to the report.
The watchman told NTSB investigators that he was “focused on taking apart a light when the train exited the tunnel,” according to the report. Additionally, the watchman said he believed the train alert lights were the result of testing triggered by the employee in the train control room.
The preliminary report does not say whether the watchman gave the other workers any alert. It also does not say if the train operator made any attempt to brake to avoid hitting the worker.
It’s not known if the crew was fully staffed or whether a watchman typically has multiple duties. Fisher declined to answer general questions about MARTA’s typical maintenance procedures, saying that “job responsibilities are material to the investigation.” She did provide a job description for workers serving as watchmen. According to the job description, their “sole function is to watch for approaching trains.”
As part of its investigation, the NTSB interviewed the maintenance crew members and the train operator. NTSB investigators also visited the scene in person.
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