A Sydney rail depot has become the first in New South Wales and third across Australia to call on Sheffield safety specialists, Zonegreen, to improve working conditions for staff.

The firm has installed its flagship New Generation Depot Personnel Protection System (DPPS) at the Auburn depot, to replace outdated manual safety procedures.

Situated in western Sydney, Auburn depot maintains the Millennium. SGT and Waratah fleet of Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trains and will continue to do so for the next 20 years. Until now, the depot has used manual derailers to provide protection for staff. Whilst manual derailers offer protection from unauthorised vehicle movements, the manual operation of the unit imports other risks, including the potential for slips, trips and falls; trapping injuries and requiring staff to walk outside of the protected area in front of live vehicles. It was clear a change was needed.

Working with long-standing Australian partner, Andrew Engineering, Zonegreen has installed DPPS to automate safety procedures; eliminating the margin for human error and improving the efficiency of train movements. This will enable depot operators, Downer EDI Rail, to service the 117 Waratah trains currently housed at Auburn and to meet any future demands.

Zonegreen’s REP installed at Auburn Depot

© Zonegreen

The seven road depot has been fitted with 14 powered derailers to provide physical protection for staff. Personnel log onto the DPPS at road end panels via personalised datakeys. Logging onto the system inhibits the derailer from being lowered, creating a safe zone in which to work. Beacons and klaxons have been provided by Andrew Engineering to give personnel audible and visual warnings of train movements. Zonegreen’s Depot Manager software has also been installed, providing a complete overview of DPPS and recording all activity on the system.

In addition, Andrew Engineering are providing protection to staff on one further road, utilising DPPS equipment to activate tripdogs, which will automatically apply a train’s brakes if a signal is passed at danger.
source= https://railway-news.com/zonegreen-achieves-australian-hat-trick/