ARGENTINA: High accident and suicide rates on Argentine railway lines traumatise drivers
Record ID:
446679
ARGENTINA: High accident and suicide rates on Argentine railway lines traumatise drivers
- Title: ARGENTINA: High accident and suicide rates on Argentine railway lines traumatise drivers
- Date: 24th September 2011
- Summary: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (SEPTEMBER 21, 2011) (REUTERS) OMAR MATURANO, SECRETARY OF TRAIN UNION 'THE BROTHERHOOD', READING BOOK ON POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS IN ENGINEERS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MATURANO SAYING: "Train engineers have to live with the horror, with the face of the person they ran over, remembering the suicides. There are always things we can't erase from our minds. But we survive. I always say we kill more people than a soldier who goes to Vietnam or Iraq." PEOPLE SITTING IN WAITING ROOM SALVADOR DELANI, WAITING FOR APPOINTMENT WITH DOCTOR, SAYING: MORE THAN 30 PEOPLE, BETWEEN PEOPLE AND CARS VARIOUS OF DR. MARIA TERESA KOHLER, LABOR DOCTOR WHO WORKS WITH ENGINEERS, ARRIVING TO OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) KOHLER SAYING: "Is it by chance that a lot of them get diabetes, or their blood pressure goes up, or they develop heart problems after an accident? But because these are illnesses caused by many factors, and the laws covering job risks don't consider them a result of the engineer's job." BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (SEPTEMBER 22, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE CROSSING TRACKS VARIOUS OF PEOPLE CROSSING CAR CROSSING BETWEEN SECURITY BARS VARIOUS OF TRAIN PASSING
- Embargoed: 9th October 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Argentina, Argentina
- Country: Argentina
- Topics: Travel / Tourism,Transport
- Reuters ID: LVA3H0X1WWBKOJQ3V7K1X5DJY08Y
- Story Text: For the millions who live in the outlying neighborhoods and suburbs of the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, trains are the main form of transport to get in and out of the city's hub.
But poor infrastructure, a lack of regard for safety, and suicides have created a surprisingly high death toll - and trauma for train operators who see an average of 30 deaths in their careers, according to the union representing train workers.
The high accident rate has come under the spotlight following a spate of recent deadly accidents. Many have blamed antiquated infrastructure and lack of investment in the railways for the unusually high death rate.
On a recent morning, engineer Miguel Gonazlez sat at the controls of his train on the Sarmiento line, one of the six servicing the city. Outside, commuters scrambled to cross tracks and cars tried to zip under security bars.
Close calls are a daily reality for Gonzalez and his colleagues and fatalities -- 400 a year among all six lines -- are never far from their minds.
"In terms of the accidents that train engineers carry on their shoulders, they don't keep count, no matter if it's one, 11, 20 or 50 dead. And no one is going to tell you - and by no one I mean engineers and machinists, everyone in the union - no one is going to tell you, 'I'm used to having so many accidents.' We always say that the person who gets used to should retire," Gonzalez said Thursday (September 22) from the train's engine.
Many of the deaths conductors see are suicides, but accidents are common as well.
Video provided by transportation officials showed a brutal crash earlier this month, when a train hit a bus, derailed and slammed into the oncoming train. Eleven people died and over 200 were injured.
Other incidents captured on video include this one, when last year a man jumped off a motorbike to heroically push a stalled truck off the tracks.
This woman's daughter survived by pressing her body up against the concrete barrier - a near miss, but a traumatic one for train operators.
Omar Marutano is the secretary general for the train workers' union 'La Fraternidad', or 'The Brotherhood'. He sat in his office this week flipping through 'Innocent Executioners', a book put together by Dr. Maria Teresa Kohler about post-traumatic stress in train operators.
"Train engineers have to live with the horror, with the face of the person they ran over, remembering the suicides. There are always things we can't erase from our minds. But we survive. I always say we kill more people than a soldier who goes to Vietnam or Iraq," he said.
Because of the stress of the job, operators have a young retirement age, 55, but not too much else in the way of support.
Kohler is a doctor specializing in labor issues who works closely with railway employees. In the waiting room of her office recently, retired engineer Salvador Delani explained that he had seen over 30 deaths in his career.
Now he seeks help from Kohler, who says the coverage for train operators should be expanded to treat more specific health problems related to stress.
"Is it by chance that a lot of them get diabetes, or their blood pressure goes up, or they develop heart problems after an accident? But because these are illnesses caused by many factors, and the laws covering job risks don't consider them a result of the engineer's job," she said.
Most train lines don't have overpasses, and pedestrians are forced to cross on the tracks. Some complain that safety barriers for cars are not sufficient, can be easily passed, or don't work properly.
After the recent incidents, Argentine lawmakers passed a bill this week that would revoke people's licenses who go through security barriers. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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