National Rail Safety Strategy

National Rail Safety Strategy 2010 2020 www.rissb.com.au

Contents Message from the Chairman 3 Introduction 4 Strategic Trends and Drivers 6 Strategic Fit 8 Rail Safety Improvement Model 10 National Priorities 11 Monitoring and Review Processes 13 Associated Documents 13 Glossary 14 NATIONAL RAIL SAFETY STRATEGY 2010 2020 www.rissb.com.au

Message from the Chairman It is my pleasure to present the National Rail Safety Strategy 2010-2020. This strategy represents a vision and future path for the Australian rail industry based on the collaborative efforts of rail organisations across the nation with support from the Australasian Railway Association, Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board, state transport safety regulators and trade union organisations. It is the first of its kind in Australia. As an industry, we are astutely aware of the responsibility we carry for the safety of all who come into contact with our business including rail workers, the travelling public, freight customers and local communities. While we can take some comfort from the fact that rail is one of the safest modes of transport in the world, we cannot overlook some of the tragic events in our history that have resulted in injury, loss of life and community harm. These events serve as sombre reminders that our task to protect the people who work for us and those who interact with our services is one that requires ongoing vigilance, hard work and long term commitment. This strategy represents a serious commitment on behalf of the Australian rail industry to make rail the safest and most sustainable freight and passenger transportation system in Australia. It encompasses seven strategic areas of focus for the next 10 years to bring about greater consistency in rail safety practices and heightened accountability for delivering safety outcomes. These include a focus on safety standards, risk management, culture, data and knowledge management, stakeholders, as well as public and industry education. It is an exciting time for our industry. We currently face an immense reform agenda amidst ever-increasing levels of industry complexity and diversity. However, our primary task is to respond to these challenges without compromise to the safety of all who come into contact with our operations. I look forward to working together with all industry partners to deliver the objectives of this strategy and, ultimately, to rail remaining the safest and most sustainable land transportation system in the country. Tony Drake Chairman, Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board www.rissb.com.au NATIONAL RAIL SAFETY STRATEGY 2010 2020 1

Introduction The vision of the Australian rail industry is to remain the safest and most sustainable passenger and freight land transportation system in Australia. In an industry marked by immense diversity of scale and scope, significant internal and external competition pressures, unprecedented legislative reform and competing regulatory frameworks, this is no small task. However, it is the industry s most important task. This strategic plan has been developed by a large group of representatives from the rail industry. It is designed to provide a direction and a central focus for rail safety to the year 2020 and is complimentary to the National Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Strategy 2002-2012. By detailing the industry s vision, drivers for change, priorities for action and indicators of success, the strategy seeks to provide a framework for all stakeholders of the rail industry to focus their safety improvement efforts. The strategy has been developed in the knowledge that the following principles are fundamental to its successful implementation: A safe systems approach A shared responsibility using a co-operative approach Engagement with industry, government, rail stakeholders and the community An risk-based approach Using existing information and building on research and international developments These principles give rise to seven strategic areas of focus that are designed to provide a holistic approach to improving safety within the industry. These include a focus on safety standards, risk management, culture, data and knowledge management, stakeholders, and public and industry education. These seven areas of focus form the basis of a series of corresponding national priorities for action. These priorities are: 1. To develop high quality, effective national rail safety standards, codes of practice and guidelines 2. To implement targeted interventions for the rail industry s Top 5 risks: To reduce the risk of collisions and near misses at railway level crossings To reduce the risk of rail collisions To reduce the risk of derailments To reduce the occurrence of rail worker injuries and incidents To improve passenger safety and security on passenger rollingstock and at stations 3. To improve the safety culture and risk management capabilities of the rail industry 4. To develop a system for achieving timely, reliable, comparable and nationally consistent rail safety data 5. To build effective partnerships that drive significant and sustainable safety improvement while achieving practical outcomes at a national level 6. To achieve heightened public and industry awareness of key rail safety risks and mitigation strategies 7. Achieve sustainable modal transfer to rail from contestable alternative transport modes that are less safe This strategy will be implemented by a series of collaborative partnerships between industry stakeholders. It will be supported by a number of annual action plans that provide the detail and accountabilities for specific safety improvement projects. The strategy will be reviewed as required by the RISSB Safety Standing Committee to monitor progress against meeting its objectives and to ensure it remains focussed on the industry s risk profile and changing priorities. 2 NATIONAL RAIL SAFETY STRATEGY 2010 2020 www.rissb.com.au

Strategic Trends and Drivers The Australian rail industry encompasses a vast array of operating passenger and freight railway companies; track owners; infrastructure manufacturers and maintainers; rolling stock manufacturers and maintainers; suppliers of track and signalling materials; transit authorities; government regulatory agencies; railway associations; professional organisations; consultants; contractors; and educational institutes. There are over 150 rail operators accredited to operate within Australia with these organisations employing over 100,000 people. It is estimated that a further 70,000 people are employed in supporting industries. The rail industry is a significant contributor to the country s rural and regional economies, producing economic benefits worth over $7 billion a year. Safety has always been an area of intense focus within the rail industry and even more so since the initial signing of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Rail Safety in 1996, and its subsequent updates. This agreement seeks to achieve a cost effective, nationally consistent approach to railway safety and the current co-regulatory regime has gone part-way towards achieving these goals. There has been a great deal of goodwill and effort by both industry participants and accreditation authorities to make a co-regulatory environment work and the power of collaborative partnerships to achieve practical safety improvements is being increasingly recognised. In recent years, the industry has seen significant legislative reform with the introduction of the National Transport Commissions National Model Rail Safety Bill 2006 and Regulations and subsequent State and Territory legislative arrangements. This legislative reform has taken the industry one step closer to achieving national consistency however there are still a number of gaps requiring attention including a lack of reliable and consistent data being assembled at a national level from which to measure performance, analyse risks or conduct valuable benchmarking activities. Further reforms which industry is actively contributing to and monitoring carefully include the establishment of a National Rail Safety Regulator by 2013, and an expanded role for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) in investigating rail safety incidents and providing national rail incident statistics. The global rail industry has an inherent vulnerability to high severity, low probability accidents and the Australian rail industry has not been without incident in this regard. The notable train accidents at Waterfall in New South Wales (2003), the Cairns Tilt Train derailment at Berajondo in Queensland (2004), and the Kerang level crossing accident in Victoria (2007) all resulted in loss of life and/ or severe injury and serve as poignant reminders that the rail industry is not in a position to rest on its laurels with regard to safety. The industry has a history based in a powerful culture of punctuality that said, on-time running as a measure of performance has not always been the best advocate of a safety-first approach. Historically, a prescriptive, rule-based approach to safety has meant that the rail industry has been slower than others to embrace the performance-based risk management regime that is now recognised as best-practice. In summary, safety within the rail industry is an issue taken very seriously by all stakeholders. The challenge is to channel the efforts of these stakeholders to foster a culture of collaborative partnerships, risk management best practice and national consistency. It is hoped that this strategy provides a mechanism for doing so. www.rissb.com.au NATIONAL RAIL SAFETY STRATEGY 2010 2020 3

Strategic Fit The National Rail Safety Strategy represents a series of priorities identified for rail safety for the next ten years. In doing so, it is designed to work in concert with the immense body of work planned or already underway within the industry and within the national OHS framework. The following diagrams illustrate the document s major stakeholders and its strategic fit with relevant safety legislation and other safety regimes. Diagram 1: National Rail Safety Strategy 2010-2020 Major Stakeholders Rail Transport Organisations Operators Managers Government Bodies Australian Transport Council National Transport Commission Transport Regulators OHS Regulators Australian Transport Safety Bureau and other Independent Investigators Related government departments e.g. Road Traffic Authorities, Emergency Services, Infrastructure and Planning National Rail Safety Strategy 2010-2020 Rail Industry Associations Australasian Railway Association Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board Rail CRC Rail Skills Career Council Trade Unions 4 NATIONAL RAIL SAFETY STRATEGY 2010 2020 www.rissb.com.au

Diagram 2: National Rail Safety Strategy 2010-2020 Strategic Fit SAFETY LEGisLATioN National Model Rail Safety Act and Regulations National Model OHS Act and Regulations State and Territory Rail Safety Acts and Regulations State and Territory OHS Acts and Regulations NATioNAL STraTEGIES National Rail Level Crossing Strategy National Rail Safety Strategic Plan 2010-2020 National OHS Strategy 2002-2012 COMPANY safety PLANS Organisation-specific strategies and action plans www.rissb.com.au NATIONAL RAIL SAFETY STRATEGY 2010 2020 5

Rail Safety Improvement Model National consistency in the application of rail safety standards and practices 1. Develop high quality and effective national rail safety standards, codes of practice and guidelines Safety Standards NATioNAL VisioN For rail to be the safest and most sustainable freight and passenger transportation system in Australia INDicaTors OF success Reduction in high incidence and high severity risks Robust rail industry safety culture supporting a workforce highly skilled and competent at managing risk Improved identification, analysis and mitigation of rail industry risks Improved performance against agreed national rail safety KPI s High level of confidence in the safety and security of the rail industry NATioNAL PrioriTIES 2. Implement targeted interventions for the rail industry s Top 5 risks Railway level crossings Train collisions Train derailments Rail worker injuries and incidents Passenger safety and security 3. Improve the safety culture and risk management capabilities of the rail industry 4. Develop a system for achieving timely, reliable, comparable and nationally consistent rail safety data 5. Build effective partnerships that drive significant and sustainable safety improvement 6. Achieve heightened public and industry awareness of key rail safety risks and mitigation strategies STraTEGic areas OF Focus Risk Management Industry Culture and Capability Data Improvement and Knowledge Management Stakeholder Engagement Public and Industry Education Improved sustainability of the rail business to maintain the safest mode of land transport 7. Achieve sustainable modal transfer to rail from contestable alternative transport modes that are less safe Enhancing Rail s Value Proposition 6 NATIONAL RAIL SAFETY STRATEGY 2010 2020 www.rissb.com.au

National Priorities National Priority 1. Develop high quality and effective national rail safety standards, codes of practice and guidelines 2. Implement targeted interventions for the rail industry s Top 5 3. Improve the safety culture and risk management capabilities of the rail industry 4. Develop a system for achieving timely, reliable, comparable and nationally consistent rail safety data 5. Build effective partnerships that drive significant and sustainable safety improvement 6. Achieve heightened public and industry awareness of key rail safety risks and mitigation strategies 7. Achieve sustainable modal transfer to rail from contestable alternative transport modes that are less safe Program ElemENts 1.1 To continue to develop national standards, codes of practice and guidelines on a risk-prioritised basis 1.2 To continue to collaborate with both Australian and international organisations to drive improvements in safety regulatory reform at a national level 1.3 Harmonisation of rail safety standards and practices 2.1 To develop and implement rail industry action plans to reduce the risk of: Collisions and near misses at railway level crossings Rail collisions Derailments Rail worker injuries and incidents Passenger safety and security on trains and at railway stations 2.2 To explore opportunities for innovation within other safety critical industries 2.3 To research new technologies that will provide major advancements for safety in the rail industry 3.1 To promote best practice safety management systems with a particular emphasis on management of change processes 3.2 To define core safety competencies for leaders in the rail industry 3.3 To better understand the value to be gained from the application of a human factors approach to managing risk in the rail industry 3.4 To continue to develop and promote the use of safety culture tools across the depth and breadth of the rail industry 4.1 To improve national safety data collection, analysis and benchmarking processes 5.1 To drive strategic engagement of rail and non-rail industry stakeholders to achieve practical outcomes at a national level 5.2 To optimise the functioning of key industry forums that promote collaboration amongst industry stakeholders and facilitate sharing of ideas and best practice 5.3 To develop practical systems that encourage sharing of safety information and promote national benchmarking 6.1 To explore new and innovative ways of engaging the industry and general public on key safety issues 6.2 Take the best of what the Industry is doing and continue doing it. 7.1 Produce and implement safety improvement actions which support/assist the systainability of rail transport 7.2 Improve customer awareness of safety advantages of utilizing the rail mode over other modes of land transport www.rissb.com.au NATIONAL RAIL SAFETY STRATEGY 2010 2020 7

Monitoring and Review Processes Associated Documents The strategy will be formally reviewed as required by the RISSB Safety Standing Committee and updated to reflect the changing needs, priorities, risk profile and technological development of the rail industry. It is also recognised that the target time for the establishment of a single National Rail Safety Regulator is 2013. This strategy many need to be adjusted to accommodate the reforms to the regulatory environment once they are complete and any new consequences for industry become apparent. A series of annual action plans will be developed to support the strategy. These plans will include: Actions to be taken to address each of the national priorities and responsibilities for these actions Key performance indicators to measure progress towards achieving the strategies vision The following documents are linked to this strategy: Australasian Railway Association Strategic Plan 2008-2017 www.ara.net.au Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board Strategic Plan 2009-2014 www.rissb.com.au National Transport Commission National Strategy for Rail Safety Data 2008-2010 www.ntc.gov.au National Railway Level Crossing Safety Strategy 2010-2020 www.atcouncil.gov.au National OHS Strategy 2002-2012 www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au Progress reports and updates to the strategy will be published following each formal review. 8 NATIONAL RAIL SAFETY STRATEGY 2010 2020 www.rissb.com.au

Glossary ARA Australasian Railway Association The ARA is a member-based association that represents the interests of the rail sector in Australia and New Zealand. The fundamental purpose of the ARA is to create an environment that will permit the Australasian rail industry to prosper and to illustrate the positive impact that railways have on the economy, society and environment of Australia and New Zealand. ATC Australian Transport Council The ATC is a Ministerial forum for Commonwealth, State and Territory consultations and provides advice to governments on the coordination and integration of all transport and road policy issues at a national level. IGA Iinter-Governmental Agreement on Rail Safety An agreement originally signed by Federal and State governments in 1996 and later updated in 2003 to legislate terms for national rail safety and accreditation processes for third party access to governmentowned infrastructure by private and government-owned rail operators. The overall intention of the IGA was to achieve a cost effective, nationally consistent approach to railway safety, ensuring no barrier to entry of third party operators. NTC National Transport Commission The NTC was established to assist Australian governments to achieve the objectives of the 1996 Inter- Governmental Agreement on Rail Safety. The NTC are independent body that works in close partnership with the road and rail transport sectors, governments, transport agencies, the Australian Local Government Association and regulators and police, to develop practical land transport reforms. Rail crc Rail Co-operative Research Centre The Rail CRC is a collaborative venture between leading organisations in the Australian rail industry and Australian Universities and is supported by the Commonwealth Government. The purpose of the Rail CRC is to undertake research that generates significant economic and social benefits for Australia. RISSB Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board The RISSB is a not for profit organisation and is a company limited by guarantee. The RISSB is an accredited Standards Development Organisation with Standards Australia and has responsibility for the development and management of the Australian Code of Practice (Standards, Codes of Practice, Rules and Guidelines). It also undertakes key projects aimed at improving harmonisation of safety practices within the industry. RSCC Rail Skills Career Council The RSCC was formed by the ARA to address industry concerns about the workforce and skills shortages that threaten to limit rail s ability to meet the short and long term transport task. RSCG Rail Safety Co-regulation Group The RSCG is a forum composed of regulators and industry safety managers and exists to provide a means of exchanging views and information in the spirit of a co-regulatory approach. It is coordinated by the RISSB and meets on a quarterly basis. RSMG Rrail Safety Managers Group The RSMG is a workshop-style forum that meets three times a year, immediately preceding the RSCF. The RSMG is composed of rail safety managers from stakeholder ARA member companies and works together in a co-operative way to share information and ideas; establish a common industry position on issues; and progress projects aimed at improving safety within the industry. RSRP Rail Safety Regulators Panel The Rail Safety Regulators Panel comprises of nominees of the Rail Safety Regulator in all States, the Northern Territory and New Zealand. The purpose of the RSRP is to provide advice to the National Transport Commission (NTC) on rail safety regulatory issues to help enhance safety and regulatory outcomes with the goal of achieving national consistency. www.rissb.com.au NATIONAL RAIL SAFETY STRATEGY 2010 2020 9

Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board Project Sponsor: Kevin B. Taylor Project Manager: Alex Borodin Author: Sharon-Lee Stroud