The following Table shows the causes to which the accidents. that occurred to servants of the Railway Companies were attributed, distinguishing the cases into which Inquiries were held. 2. Want of caution or misconduct on 5. Defective apparatus, appliances, 6. Neglect or non-observance of Rules It is difficult to assign more than 181, or 6.79 per cent., of the accidents to directly preventable causes. Of these : 11 were attributable to the want of brake levers on both sides of wagons. 8 to defective capstans and capstan ropes. 40 to defective brakes on wagons and vans. 11 to an insufficiency of clearance between vehicles and structures. 24 to dangerous systems of working, on the permanent way, in tow-roping, shunting, &c. 25 to defective engine equipment. 2 to insufficiency of lighting. 20 to ground obstructions at stations and sidings. 6 to defective turn-tables. 7 to defective vans and wagons. 5 to defective permanent way. 9 to failures of coupling poles, brake sticks and similar equipment. 13 to miscellaneous causes. Recommendations have been made, and necessary action has, where reasonably practicable, been taken under all these heads with good effect. Many cases of accident into which formal inquiry was not made were dealt with by correspondence with good results. GENERAL REMARKS. The accidents reported under Class II for the year 1923, both fatal and non-fatal in character, continue to shew a reduction as compared with years prior to 1921. The higher figures for nonfatal accidents for 1923, as compared with the two previous years, are probably largely due to a more thorough system of reporting cases of accident by the Railway Companies since amalgamation, and to some extent to the increase in the number of passenger journeys and train mileage. Full details will be found in the Returns of Accidents and Casualties for the year ending 31st December, 1923, which has been published. With regard to passenger casualties in Class II, the most prominent increase has been in injuries received by passengers owing to the closing of carriage doors, the figures for the years 1922 and 1923 being 786 and 1,093 respectively. In the case of passengers, details of the casualties (66 killed and 2,262 injured) are given on page 10. The great bulk are due to misadventure, or are caused by want of caution or misconduct on the part of the persons concerned. As regards the casualties caused by falling out of carriages during the running of trains, the total number (25 killed and 39 injured) is identical with 1922, and continues to represent roughly 1 case per 20 million passenger journeys. They include accidents caused not only by failure of door fastenings, but also cases of misconduct such as drunkenness, overbalancing when seated on a carriage window, unproven suicide, and evasion of ticket collection. The figures still fail to justify pressure being brought to bear upon Railway Companies to adopt one of the numerous patents for controlling the locking and unlocking of carriage doors, more especially since such devices may add to the difficulty of the rescue of passengers in case of accident. As regards servants of railway companies, the great bulk, 69.7 per cent., vide Table 8, of the total accidents are similar in origin-misadventure-to those incidental to any industrial enterprise, and no considerable reduction can be expected. Cases which are attributable to want of caution (25.3 per cent.) can, however, be reduced by the display of more thought on the part of the men themselves, and the desirability of education in personal carefulness is again emphasised. Railway Companies are extending the use of Safety propaganda, and it is hoped that further improvement will be shown in the percentage results in future returns. Table 9 shows an increase in the number of non-fatal cases of coupling and uncoupling accidents, when compared with the year 1922. There has been a slight increase, when compared with the figures for 1922 in accidents to men engaged upon the permanent way, and the number of such accidents, of which a large proportion prove to be fatal, is still lamentably high. Many are due to neglect to observe instructions or to a failure to exercise reasonable care. The freer use of the protection afforded by qualified look-out men, and the active encouragement of foremen, gangers, or other men in charge, to make use of this means of reducing risk continues to be advocated. The desirability of educating the staff in the direction of how to avoid personal risk in the performance of their duties has again to be emphasized. CLASS III.-NON-MOVEMENT ACCIDENTS. The following information concerning accidents on railway premises not connected with the movement of railway vehicles is given as regards the cases shown in Table I. These accidents, for the most part, are not attributable to railway working, and should not properly be classed as Railway Accidents. By falling on steps or from platforms, &c., in station premises 7 were killed and 368 injured, and from other causes 2 were killed and 359 injured. B. SERVANTS OF COMPANIES OR CONTRACTORS. The fatalities and cases of injury to railway servants and servants of contractors have been classified in respect of primary cause, as shown in the following Table :- Of the total of 15,505 non-movement accidents, 14,761, or over 95 per cent., may be described as industrial accidents of a more or less non-preventable character. They include 4 killed and 4,868 injured while engaged in handling goods; 4 killed and 1,990 injured when attending to engines at rest; 16 killed and 3,183 injured by falls on railway premises; 6 killed and 3,036 injured in the performance of ordinary duties upon permanent way, and 8 killed and 2,390 injured from other causes. Inquiries have been held by Assistant Inspecting Officers and Sub-Inspecting Officers into 75 accidents, in which 75 persons were killed or injured. C. OTHER PERSONS. Twenty-eight persons other than passengers or servants were killed and 538 injured on railway premises, 13 of whom were killed, and 398 injured while on business at stations or sidings. Of the fatal cases, 10 were due to persons falling off walls, bridges, &c. 4 to persons falling off wagons or trucks, 5 to persons being caught between or run over by road vehicles, 5 to persons coming in contact with electrically charged rails while trespassing, and 4 to other causes. PUBLISHED BY HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE. 28, ABINGDON STREET, LONDON, S.W.1 YORK STREET, MANCHESTER; 1, ST. ANDREW'S CRESCENT, CARDIFF; or 120, GEORGE STREET, EDINBURGH, |