Enhancing Railway Maintenance Safety Using Open-Source Computer Vision

Abstract

As high-speed railways continue to be constructed, more maintenance work is needed to ensure smooth operation. However, this leads to frequent accidents involving maintenance workers at the tracks. Although the number of such accidents is decreasing, there is an increase in the number of casualties. When a maintenance worker is hit by a train, it invariably results in a fatality; this is a serious social issue. To address this problem, this study utilized the tunnel monitoring system installed on trains to prevent railway accidents. This was achieved by using a system that uses image data from the tunnel monitoring system to recognize railway signs and railway tracks and detect maintenance workers on the tracks. Images of railway signs, tracks, and maintenance workers on the tracks were recorded through image data. The Computer Vision OpenCV library was utilized to extract the image data. A recognition and detection algorithm for railway signs, tracks, and maintenance workers was constructed to improve the accuracy of the developed prevention system.

Intervention Mapping as a Framework for Developing and Testing an Intervention to Promote Safety at a Rail Infrastructure Maintenance Company

“…Being aware of the problem (1), having a strong positive intention (6), and possessing the necessary knowledge and skills (5) to perform the required behavior (8) combined with experiencing no or limited environmental barriers (7) to doing so are considered necessary and sufficient to produce a safety-enhancing behavioral change among leaders (8). Attitudes (2: believing that the advantages of performing the new leadership behavior outweigh the disadvantages), social norms (3: perceiving more social pressure to engage in the leadership behavior than not to perform this behavior), and self-efficacy (4: leaders perceiving themselves to be capable of performing the leadership behavior under different circumstances) can weaken or strengthen a behavioral intention.…”

“…Attitudes (2: believing that the advantages of performing the new leadership behavior outweigh the disadvantages), social norms (3: perceiving more social pressure to engage in the leadership behavior than not to perform this behavior), and self-efficacy (4: leaders perceiving themselves to be capable of performing the leadership behavior under different circumstances) can weaken or strengthen a behavioral intention. Here, determinants 2 to 5, which affect the formation of intention and environmental barriers (7) that may prevent the formation of intention (such as no or insufficient time to perform the behavior) or the translation from intention into behavior (e.g., no support from the environment to perform the behavior) must be considered. Further, the assumption is that if a person has the intention to exhibit certain leadership behavior and has the right skills to exhibit the desired behavior, the likelihood of them actually exhibiting the desired behavior increases.…”

“…A combination of factors affect rail worker safety. Previous studies have demonstrated organizational or technological risk management approaches through the management of safety rules [4] by introducing safe track maintenance schedules [5], tunnel monitoring systems to recognize and detect maintenance workers on the tracks or other technology solutions [6,7], or even digital twins for maintaining a safe working environment for track workers by reducing the time spent working in the danger zone [8]. Earlier research by Farrington-Darby and colleagues [9] identified 40 factors influencing the safety behavior and safety culture among railway maintenance workers, for example, supervisory presence, peer pressure, managers' communication methods, managers' accessibility and availability, the volume of paperwork, contradictory rules, and feedback messages from managers.…”

Experimental Analysis of Hot-Mix Asphalt (HMA) Mixtures with Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) in Railway Sub-Ballast

“…In the last decades, the increase in railway traffic loads and repetitions forced the development of innovative and high-performance technologies [ 1 ]. During its service life, the permanent way should maintain track geometry, distribute the loads on the sleepers, and require minimal, safe, and fast maintenance works [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Such requirements are even more stringent for high-speed track structures [ 5 ].…”