RAIB: annual report 2020 (published 2021)
Rail Accident Investigation Branch report for the operational period ending 31 December 2020.
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Video: Simon French, RAIB’s Chief Inspector introduces our 2020 Annual Report
Simon French, RAIB’s Chief Inspector introduces our 2020 Annual Report
During the period from 1 January to 31 December 2020, we received 457 notifications of railway accidents and incidents from the industry. These resulted in 38 preliminary examinations.
As a result of the analysis of the information gathered, we started 14 full investigations and six safety digests.
We completed and published 16 full investigation reports in 2020. While our aim is to publish reports and safety digests within 12 months of the date of occurrence, the length of individual investigations can sometimes extend beyond this because of the complexity and scale of the investigation, late notification by the industry or the need to address complex issues raised during formal consultation. In 2020 the average time taken to publish full reports was 11.2 months from the date of occurrence. We also issued eight safety digests and two urgent safety advice notices.
Notes to editors
1.The sole purpose of RAIB investigations is to prevent future accidents and incidents and improve railway safety. RAIB does not establish blame, liability or carry out prosecutions.
2.RAIB operates, as far as possible, in an open and transparent manner. While our investigations are completely independent of the railway industry, we do maintain close liaison with railway companies and if we discover matters that may affect the safety of the railway, we make sure that information about them is circulated to the right people as soon as possible, and certainly long before publication of our final report.
3.For media enquiries, please call 01932 440015.