Rules are there to prevent risk or danger and therefore should be obeyed.

In exceptional circumstances people will often do whatever is necessary to help save lives regardless of personal risk. If they get away with it they are a hero(ine), if they fail then they are a fool.

Rules are made to be broken, humans will always push the boundaries.

:0)

I believe that these rules relating to safety are made to conform to Health and Safety at work and are put in place not out of common sense but to prevent damage claims. Unfortunately it is a reflection on our society where common sense has gone out of the window and political correctness prevails. My natural instinct would be to get involved and worry afterwards, that is not to say that I would ignore all risks but there is no way that I could stand back and let someone die if there was reasonable chance that taking all things into consideration I could save a life.

If there were other people on the track it would seem that the highest priority was to alert the signaller.

It may be that the opening line (based on the way the story was reported) is wrong.

'A railway worker has been suspended for rescuing a women in a wheelchair when she fell on the track.'

The suspension seems to be because he didn't follow the proper procedure.

"If there were other people on the track it would seem that the highest priority was to alert the signaller."

Of course it was. Had this man been on the track when a train passed through there could well have been at least two deaths - he acted negligently if the facts are as stated, although he probably acted without thinking.

**morddwyd to conform to Health and Safety at work and are put in place not out of common sense but to prevent damage claims. "**

I am talking grass roots level