HSE seeks improvements at bus stations - 9 May 2007

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has served an Improvement Notice on Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) of Piccadilly Place in Manchester following two incidents resulting in three fatalities and a third incident resulting in serious injury at local bus stations.

“Each of the incidents has occurred in the past ten months while pedestrians were using designated crossing points and each is being investigated by HSE inspectors,” says HSE’s Head of Operations for the North West, David Sowerby.  “Following these fatalities and the other incident in 2007 we have now taken a wider look at the issue of pedestrian safety and are working with GMPTE to do so.

“The Improvement Notice requires GMPTE to assess all bus station premises and interchanges it operates and to make a systematic assessment of the risks to the safety of its employees and anybody else who may be affected by the conduct of its undertaking when using the designated pedestrian crossing points.

“The assessment requires a systematic examination of the design, location and use of the designated pedestrian crossing points which have been provided by GMPTE at its 22 bus stations.

“GMPTE is co-operating fully with the HSE during our investigations and is now undertaking the assessment and development of an action plan, as required by the Improvement Notice. This plan will contain a timetable for implementing the necessary measures identified in the assessment and it will be discussed with HSE.

“We both hope that the ultimate outcome will be premises that are safer to use both for GMPTE staff, as well as passengers and local pedestrians.”

The three incidents that prompted the Improvement Notice occurred in Bury, Oldham and most recently in Ashton under Lyne.

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