Metro to launch new health and safety campaign in a bid to cut minor accidents on the system

Metro, and its owner Nexus, want to cut down the number of slips, trips, falls and incidents of passengers getting their fingers caught in the doors of a train as they are closing.

Graphic posters will be displayed at Metro stations to highlight the injuries passengers can sustain if they slip or fall over running for a train or while they are on an escalator.

The Stay Safe on the Metro campaign, which launches on November 13, will see the new posters displayed prominently throughout the system. Common sense safety tips on how to avoid minor accidents will also be available to passengers on a free leaflet and online at www.nexus.org.uk/metrosafe.

The images on the posters might well be hard hitting but this has been done deliberately to focus attention on the issue of travelling safely on Metro, particularly when the system gets busy in the morning and evening rush hours.

One of the posters shows an injury caused by someone getting their fingers caught in the doors of a Metro train. The other poster shows the sort of leg injury that can be sustained by falling over on an escalator or when a person doesn’t mind the gap when boarding and alighting a train.

Figures show that in the year to April 2008 there were 180 minor accidents involving passengers on the Metro system compared to 110 in the previous year.

A breakdown of the figures show that 40 accidents involved people falling or tripping over while on Metro station concourses or platforms, 61 saw people fall after losing their footing or becoming ill on escalators, 58 involved falls on escalators for other reasons, five incidents involved a train’s door and 16 involved falls while boarding and alighting the trains.

Metro Director, Mick Carbro, said: “Passenger safety is our top priority. The new posters might shock some people but we believe this is necessary to convince people of the need to take care when they are using Metro.

“Passengers who are in a hurry are most likely to have an accident, especially if it’s a wet day. It might not look like it but running down an escalator is dangerous and it’s even more dangerous to try and force a Metro train door open as it is closing.

“We are confident this campaign will get across some very basic but very important safety messages to our customers: take care when you’re travelling on Metro and help us to reduce the number of minor accidents on the network.”

Metro has issued a list of common sense guidelines for passengers to follow and these are available on a free leaflet that can be obtained from any Nexus Travelshop.

For more information about safety on Metro then passengers should write to Metro Communications, South Gosforth, Newcastle, NE3 1PZ or email metro.communications@nexus.org.uk.

Metro passenger safety guidance – avoiding slips, trips and falls:

• Take care during wet conditions – if you cannot avoid walking in an area of a station where a yellow warning sign is displayed, please remember to take extra care. A recent Metro passenger survey found less than half of respondents would walk slower through a danger area identified with a yellow cone (48%).
• If carrying heavy/bulky items of shopping, please use the station lift instead of the escalator.
• Avoid running to catch the train. Always try to allow plenty of time for your journey. Think of the safety of others as well as your own.
• Keep floor surfaces tidy. Please place litter in the bins provided.
• When using escalators remember to:
  
  
  • Stand to the right, facing forward - don’t lean on the side or sit down.
  • Hold the handrail
  • Take care when stepping on and off
  • Be especially careful if you have loose shoelaces, or are wearing scarves/baggy clothes - they can get caught in moving parts

• At a station - use the Metro Help Point or speak to a member of staff.
• On a train - phone or text 0191 203 3666.