UK:
HSE publishes audit of Railtrack's safety systems

HSE's Deputy Director General, David Eves, who led the audit team, said:

"It is widely recognised that effective management systems are the key to securing high levels of safety performance and I am pleased that Railtrack have already started to implement the measures which were highlighted by this thorough review.

"The audit acknowledges that considerable resources are being devoted to safety by Railtrack but conclude that there is potential for achieving better effect through stimulating an increased pace in the evolution of safety management systems across the industry. An example of this is that Railtrack could use its pivotal role to securing better systems for controlling the access of Train Operating Companies (TOCs) to the network."

• Railtrack could enhance its leadership role within the Railway Group by leading the development of Group Standards for key safety management system processes such as investigation, inspection and audit;
• Railtrack could improve the way it seeks to secure Train Operating Companies' (TOCs) compliance with their safety cases by:
  • expanding the scope and nature of monitoring TOC performance, particularly at Railtrack Zone level;
  • clarifying what constitutes unacceptable TOC performance and the means for securing remedial action;
  • improving the co-ordination of activity and information on TOCs collected by Railtrack's Safety and Standards Department and Railtrack Line.
• Within the Line, Railtrack could enhance safety management by improving:
  • the performance criteria for the key components of its safety management system;
  • the use of risk assessment both in establishing performance criteria and in proportionately allocating resources and prioritising safety management actions;
  • active monitoring at corporate and Zone level by developing key performance indicators which enable an assessment of overall performance and permit real time re-allocation of resource according to emerging needs;
  • investigation of accidents and incidents to establish underlying causes and consistent, comprehensive analysis of common causes and trends;
  • auditing so that activity is targeted at need, co-ordinated across the organisation, reported in a helpful style, audit actions closed out speedily, and underlying causes analysed to achieve continuous improvement;
  • the information for review to enable an overall corporate picture of performance to be gauged so that better strategic decisions can be taken;
  • external benchmarking with other high hazard industries on safety management system documentation, processes and safety culture as an aid to learning and continuous improvement in safety management practice.

Source: Health and Safety Executive