Chronicle Editor
THE National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) this week celebrated the Railway Safety Week, a regional initiative to promote safe use of railways.
The Railway Safety Week ran from 10 to 16 October 2021.
This is the second time NRZ is commemorating Railway Safety Week.
Acting Public Relations Manager Mr Martin Banda said the Railway Safety Week was commemorated annually in all the Southern African Railways Association (SARA) member countries.
SARA is a grouping of railway companies in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC).
The theme for this year is Zero Compromise, Zero Accidents, Zero Harm.
The theme was chosen to highlight the importance of adhering to safety principles to prevent accidents.
There should be no compromise on safety issues and where there is a conflict of interest between safety and other factors, safety should take precedence.
Mr Banda said there should be zero accidents and research had shown that accidents do not just happen but are caused.
Eighty-eight percent of accidents are caused by human error, 10 percent by unsafe physical conditions and two percent by natural calamities.
On zero harm, Mr Banda said no person should be killed or injured at work and there should be no loss of property due to a disregard of safety regulations.
Mr Banda said SARA board resolved in 2019 to set aside one week every October to hold activities in member countries to highlight rail safety issues to prevent accidents and deaths on the railways.
The Railway Safety Week provides the region with a platform for a joint regional advocacy for railways safety practices which conform to the SADC SARA Railway Safety Standards.
Mr Banda said the main commemorations In Zimbabwe were held in Gweru.
Apart from the main activities in Gweru, the NRZ also organised events at its different stations to highlight safety issues to members of the public.
SARA is headquartered in Harare and was formed in April 1996 in line with the SADC Protocol on Transport, Communications and Meteorology (PTCM).
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