RSSB Publishes Railway Safety Plan

December 19, 2006 // Published as a news service by IHS

The plan outlines the industry's approach to managing safety related activities over the next three years.

It encompasses commitments made by industry companies as part of their own safety plans.

This plan establishes trajectories for the industry's collective ambitions in key risk areas and outlines the actions to be taken.

The key industry trajectories will be:

• Deliver a measurable reduction in the risk from catastrophic accidents on trains and accidents to passengers caused by vehicle defects.
• Deliver a measurable reduction in the risk from crime to passengers and the workforce from assault, terrorism, trespass and vandalism.
• Deliver a measurable reduction in the risk from the misuse of level crossings from awareness campaigns, research into user behavior and crossing design, upgrades and replacements and train driver competence.
• Deliver a measurable reduction in the level of risk caused by the behavior of passengers at stations by reducing or eliminating the typical hazards that result in accidents. Improve the competency of workers at stations to manage this effectively.
• Maintain or improve the level of safety for passengers on trains.
• Maintain or improve the level of safety for train crew.
• Deliver a reduction in the rate of track worker accidents.
• Maintain or improve where reasonably practicable the quality of track engineering.

Source: U.K. Rail Safety & Standards Board (RSSB).