On 20 August, 4 workers were struck and killed by an express train while carrying out weed-clearing work at Shin-Kanuma Station in Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture. An interim report pointed out that the chain of command at the site was deficient and that instructions on where to take shelter were unclear.
At Shin-Kanuma Station on the Tobu Nikko Line, 4 of the 7 workers spraying weed killer were struck and killed by the limited express Spacia X after it entered the tracks. The other 3 workers reportedly took shelter on the platform or elsewhere. This article reports on the submission of an interim report.
The interim report was submitted to the Kanto District Transport Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It outlines the sequence of events and measures to prevent a recurrence. It pointed out that the chain of command at the site was not properly structured: the work supervisor responsible for the site did not instruct the workers on their assignments or where to take shelter, while the supervisor’s superior instructed them to move.
The investigation found that 1 of the 4 people who died was the work supervisor’s superior. That person issued instructions at the site on starting the work and moving the lookouts, while the work supervisor reportedly left command to the superior and took photographs from outside the site.