At least 100 Dead in Train Derailment

India's view on the importance of health and safety is also non existent. I suppose it might be easier to say that it is just 'one of those things', a freak accident etc. The reality is that operator error (these guys are paid peanuts) and track and train maintenance is more than likely.

This is a country where 15000 people (according to a 2012 report)die every year from trying to cross the train track. How the **** does that happen? Unless its suicide, how the hell does someone not realise they are walking down or across a train track and might be struck if they are not self aware?????

I refuse to use trains and buses over here, my limit is the auto rickshaw.
 
Rifte said:
This is a country where 15000 people (according to a 2012 report)die every year from trying to cross the train track. How the **** does that happen? Unless its suicide, how the hell does someone not realise they are walking down or across a train track and might be struck if they are not self aware?????
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I'd have thought from your time in Asia it wouldn't be so surprising - so many seem to go around oblivious to danger. That said its getting almost as bad here - surprised there aren't more accidents - on my way to work 9 out of 10 pedestrians just walk out without checking if its clear when crossing roads.
 
Rroff said:
That said its getting almost as bad here - surprised there aren't more accidents - on my way to work 9 out of 10 pedestrians just walk out without checking if its clear when crossing roads.
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I have 100% noticed this in the last year or so myself, when people walk across in front of me when I'm driving, which happens way more often than it used to, they just eyeball me and keep walking.

It always used to be (and still is for me) that if I walk out and then realise a car is closer than I thought it was, or going faster, or whatever, I'd actually try to get out of the road a bit quicker, lately I feel like people look, see me, and just go "meh" and walk out anyway.

They're not looking at their phones, or listening to music, they just don't seem to care.
 
Over the few years I have been based out in Asia I have seen some crazy stuff, but still the craziness and down right negligence in India still shocks me on occasion. I call India my home for about 9 months of the year but in reality I am only there for about 4 to 5 months a year. In the last three years I have seen double digit road kills ( one happened right in front of me). Does it seem to change their attitude though? No....my mind boggles.
 
The Health and Safety Act of 1974 (The one we all love to moan about) did a lot to reduce death and injury in the workplace here in the UK. I'm thinking some similar regulation is desperately needed in India.
 
Sliver said:
The Health and Safety Act of 1974 (The one we all love to moan about) did a lot to reduce death and injury in the workplace here in the UK. I'm thinking some similar regulation is desperately needed in India.
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I was responsible for health and safety in a busy warehouse for a couple of years - even then I saw a few cases where it almost certainly saved people's lives - irritates me that some people moan about it or don't bother with it unless forced to :( most of the regulation is pretty common sense like not blocking critical fire escapes with stock.
 
The problem is a lot of people have a pretty cavalier attitude about their own personal safety. Assuming accidents and getting killed if just something that happens to OTHER people. Couldn't possibly happen to them. That's probably why things like selfie deaths are on the rise...
 
Rifte said:
Over the few years I have been based out in Asia I have seen some crazy stuff, but still the craziness and down right negligence in India still shocks me on occasion. I call India my home for about 9 months of the year but in reality I am only there for about 4 to 5 months a year. In the last three years I have seen double digit road kills ( one happened right in front of me). Does it seem to change their attitude though? No....my mind boggles.
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I think, in all seriousness, that many Indians have a strong sense of Karma/destiny. IE if this is their day to die, then it is their day to die and will take a fairly casual attitude towards trying to avoid it.

I recall similar problems reported when UK/US forces were training Afghan/Iraqi military allies. They sometimes had great difficulty trying to get then to wear their armour/helmets.

The attitude was very much "If it is the will of Allah that I get shot in the head, then I will get shot in the head!" :confused:
 
Rroff said:
I was responsible for health and safety in a busy warehouse for a couple of years - even then I saw a few cases where it almost certainly saved people's lives - irritates me that some people moan about it or don't bother with it unless forced to :( most of the regulation is pretty common sense like not blocking critical fire escapes with stock.
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Wait until you've seen someone tack-weld one of his cylinders to a ship's deck to stop it rolling around. I had to physically restrain the chief engineer from throwing the idiot welder over the side into the North Sea.
 
Craig1981 said:
The problem is a lot of people have a pretty cavalier attitude about their own personal safety. Assuming accidents and getting killed if just something that happens to OTHER people. Couldn't possibly happen to them. That's probably why things like selfie deaths are on the rise...
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It is a strange phenomena - I've seen increasingly more extreme selfies on some of my friend's instagram page and they very much do seem to be of the attitude that getting hurt or killed doing it is something that happens to other people.
 
I think the general population believes in 'destiny' and thus that any accident that may befall them is predetermined? I worked out there for 4 months once and I'm pretty sure that was what someone told me.
 
Sliver said:
The Health and Safety Act of 1974 (The one we all love to moan about) did a lot to reduce death and injury in the workplace here in the UK. I'm thinking some similar regulation is desperately needed in India.
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So basically you are saying India needs more Indians? I think in some of the most populace Asian and African countries a health and safety act may do no favours for the growth in their population level :) Disaster and famine are their main birth control!
 
Chris Wilson said:
So basically you are saying India needs more Indians!
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I don't recall saying that. I said they need similar regulation to our H&S Act. Such regulation, for example would prevent people from riding on the roof of a train, which currently see's many die needlessly.
 
According to the news it was the first two coaches that got it the worst. They got overturned. Some at the back didn't even derail. So it could have been a lot worse than it was.
 
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