| National Rail Safety Reform Agenda And Heritage Railways |
| Speaker - Brett Baker |
| |
| Content |
|
|
| |
| National Road Transport Commission to National Transport Commission |
- NRTC formed in 1991.
- Main goal of removing barriers to economy and uniform, consistent regimes for road transport.
- Part of micro-economic reform agenda.
- No role in infrastructure delivery or management.
- NRTC sunset 14th January 2004.
- August 2002 - Review endorsed by Australian Transport Council.
- Inter-governmental Agreement sign-off (ATC), NRTC commences rail work in July 2003.
- NTC Act assented to 6th September 2003.
- NTC commenced 15th January 2004.
|
| |
| What NTC Is |
- Independent body reporting to the ATC.
- Works toward establishing the best transport outcomes for Australia.
- Seeks national outcomes for road, rail and intermodal issues.
|
| |
| What NTC Does |
- Leads transport regulatory reform nationally:
- to meet the needs of transport users and the broader community
- for safe, efficient and sustainable land transport.
- "Develop, monitor, maintain uniform and
nationally consistent regulatory and
operational reforms..." (NTC Act 2003)
|
| |
| How NTC Makes a Difference |
- Provides mechanism to obtain national solutions to national problems.
- ATC approval for these solutions.
- Looks to future needs and current problems.
- Seeks to minimise black letter law and administrative burdens.
- Improves safety, efficiency and environmental outcomes.
- Consults widely
|
| |
| Current Focus - Rail |
- Improve and strengthen co-regulatory framework for rail transport.
- Improving the accreditation process, including mutual recognition.
- Identifying impediments to intermodal efficiency.
- National policy on key safety issues, eg. Fitness for duty standards:
- Health.
- Fatigue.
- Drugs and Alcohol
- Assist with the development of the Australian Code of Practice.
|
| |
| Key Regulatory Challenges |
- An effective long term regulatory interface:
- regulators / operators.
- track managers / train operators.
- National Standards:
- view the network and its administration as a national system.
- "Lock In" regulators panel review and Code development.
|
| |
| Fitness for Duty |
- Recent accidents in Victoria and NSW (Waterfall) has focused attention.
- Medical Fitness Standards, approved by the Australian Transport Council, come into
place by 1st July 2004.
- Fatigue, drugs and alcohol under review.
|
| |
| Fatigue Review |
- Strong political focus on fatigue in transport:
- Neville Report, 'Tracking Australia. An inquiry into the role of rail in the national
transport network' (1998).
- NSW Rail Safety Act 2002.
- Increased OH&S interest.
- Changing face of the rail industry.
- Industry initiatives.
- Waterfall.
- Development of a national policy on fatigue management in the rail industry:
- improvements in rail safety.
- not constrain productivity.
- Approach:
- examining manner in which fatigue is managed and regulated.
- identifying measures in order to promote an effective and consistent approach.
|
| |
| Current Regulatory Structure |
- Six different kinds of regulatory or quasi-regulatory instruments governing rail safety:
- Acts (Primary Legislation).
- Regulations.
- Australian Standards (notably AS4292 and 4360).
- Safety Management Plans.
- Code of Practice.
- Rules and Procedures.
- Complex and leads to inconsistency.
|
| |
| Prevalence of Fatigue |
- No consistent definition of fatigue.
- either for research of analysing data.
- US data: 19% train accident costs are the result of human factors.
- BTRE annual cost of rail accidents (excluding level crossing accidents) $111 m.
- Despite lack of data reviews in Uk & US found fatigue a problem.
|
| |
| Fatigue Expert Group Principles |
- Minimum sleep opportunities.
- Cumulative nature of fatigue and sleep loss.
- Circadian biological clock.
- Working time, task demands and burden of work.
- Short breaks within working time.
|
| |
Possible Outcomes |
- Self regulation by the rail industry.
- Reliance on OH&S legislation.
- Transport legislation:
- AS4292 and accreditation process.
- prescribed regulation.
- fatigue management schemes.
- Codes of Practice:
- generally not mandatory - can be prescriptive or performance based.
|
| |
| Development of a National Policy |
- Policy developed jointly with all stakeholders:
- What is needed to manage fatigue.
- How it will be applied.
- How comlpiance is to be achieved.
- In respect of road, a total package has already been proposed.
|
| |
| D&A Review |
- Regulations already in place in all jurisdictions.
- Rail safety workers:
- must not have more than the prescribed level of alcohol in blood or breath ('0' tolerance).
- must not be impaired by a drug.
- Each accredited operator/track manager must demonstrate this is managed in SMS.
- Reviwing for national consistency in policy and application.
- Well managed - but lack of data to properly support postition.
- What is impairment relating to drug use?
- Measuring (presence).
- Validating.
- Testing.
|
| |
| Future Focus |
|
|
