| HMRI
|
The
HM
Railway Inspectorate (HMRI) is an arm of the
Health and Safety Executive. Its purpose is to
secure the proper control of risks to the health
and safety of employees, passengers and others
who might be affected by the operation of Britain's
railways. It does this by:
-
ensuring through approval and inspection that
new works and rolling stock meet acceptable
safety standards such as those set out in the
Inspectorate's Railway Safety Principles and
Guidance;
-
considering, accepting as appropriate and monitoring
compliance with Railway Safety Cases;
-
securing compliance with health and safety legislation
through a programme of planned inspection and,
where appropriate, enforcement action;
-
monitoring accident trends and investigating
selected incidents;
-
influencing the industry and others on all aspects
of the regulation and management of health and
safety on Britain's railways.
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| SRA |
The
Strategic
Rail Authority is the public sector, strategic
specifier and provides industry leadership. This
involves setting the framework within which Network
Rail and Train Companies deliver. It is responsible
for planning the rail system and franchising the
train company contracts.
The
SRA operates under Directions and Guidance (D&G)
from the Secretary of State for Transport. In
Scotland it is also subject to D&G from the
Scottish Minister for Transport, and is subject
to D&G from the Mayor of London in respect
of services operating within that city.
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| Office
of
the Rail Regulator
|
The
Rail Regulator, Tom Winsor, is an independent
statutory office holder appointed by Government
under the Railways Act 1993. The Regulator aims,
through independent, fair and effective regulation,
to achieve the continuous improvement of a safe,
well-maintained and efficient railway which meets
the needs of its users and to facilitate investment
in capacity to satisfy the demands of growth in
passenger and freight traffic at the time it is
needed.
The Rail Regulator has a range of statutory powers
under the Railways Act 1993, as amended by the
Transport Act 2000. He also has concurrent jurisdiction
with the Office of Fair Trading, under the Competition
Act 1998. The Regulator’s principal function
is to regulate Network Rail’s stewardship
of the national rail network infrastructure (track,
signalling, bridges, tunnels, stations and depots).
The Regulator must exercise his functions under
the Railways Act 1993 in accordance with the statutory
duties placed on him.
He heads the ORR, a small, non-ministerial government
department staffed by civil servants. The Regulator
is assisted by a board of executive and non-executive
directors. The ORR has organised itself to take
forward its work programme according to the aim
and objectives set out in its business plan.
The Regulator receives general guidance from
the Secretary of State for Transport under section
4(5)(a) of the Railways Act 1993. The Secretary
of State sets the overall policy for Britain’s
railways, setting it within a wider transport
context. He also provides directions and guidance
to the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA), an executive
agency of the Department for Transport (DfT).
The SRA sets down railway strategies, representing
passenger and freight interests through the provision
and management of passenger train operating franchises,
the provision of rail freight grants and the enforcement
of consumer protection conditions contained within
operating licences. The Regulator has a duty to
have regard to the financial position of the SRA
and to facilitate the furtherance by the SRA of
any strategies which it has formulated with respect
to its purposes (section 4(1) of the Railways
Act 1993).
The Regulator must balance his duties when exercising
his functions under the Railways Act 1993. The
Regulator and the SRA share the same purposes,
but they have separate but complementary jurisdictions.
As such, they entered into a concordat in February
2002 which set out how the two offices communicate
and cooperate with each other.
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| UK
Department for Transport |
The
UK
Department for Transport has now taken over
all responsibilities from the DETR.
The
Department for Transport's objective is to oversee
the delivery of a reliable, safe and secure transport
system that responds efficiently to the needs
of individuals and business whilst safeguarding
our environment.
The
Department has a number of specific objectives
set out in Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets.
The
Department's responsibilities are wider than the
PSA targets, so we also have objectives covering
areas such as mobility and social inclusion, aviation
and logistics, and the services delivered through
the Departments agencies. These are:
Improve
public transport
-
Improve rail punctuality and reliability and
meet rising demand
-
Improve accessibility, punctuality, reliability
and use of local public transport (bus and light
rail)
-
Cut journey times on London Underground services
by increasing capacity and reducing delays
Improve
reliability and reduce congestion
- Reduce
congestion on the inter-urban trunk road network
and in large urban areas
Improve
safety across all transport modes
- Reduce
the number of people killed or seriously injured
in Great Britain in road accidents, particularly
children in disadvantaged communities
Reduce
the impact of transport on the environment
Other
objectives
- Provide
for the development of sustainable airport and
air space capacity;
-
Improve the sustainability of the logistics
sector;
-
Promote mobility and reduce social exclusion;
-
Develop, monitor and enforce appropriate security
and compliance regimes for transport; and,
-
Deliver modernised services for drivers, vehicle
users and the travelling public.
|
| Health
and Safety Executive |
The
Health
and Safety Executive (HSE)'s role is to ensure
that risks to people's health and safety from
work activities are properly controlled.
They are interested in the health and safety of
people at work - that includes people who may
be harmed by the way work is done (for example
because they live near a factory, or are passengers
on a train). In some situations, they are also
concerned with the way work affects the environment.
They develop new health and safety laws and standards,
and play a full part in international developments,
especially in the European Union and:
- inspect
workplaces;
- investigate
accidents and cases of ill health;
- enforce
good standards, usually by advising people how
to comply with the law, but sometimes by ordering
them to make improvements and, if necessary,
by prosecuting them;
- publish
guidance and advice;
- provide
an information service;
- carry
out research;
- carry
out various activities such as nuclear site
licensing and accepting off shore installation
safety cases.
|
|
Denmark:
The Safety Regulators are all dependent upon the
Ministries of Transport. As in the UK, there is
a Railway Inspectorate, responsible for carrying
out inspection of the safety of railways in Denmark.
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|
Germany:
Eisenbahn-Bundesamt
(EBA) is the supervisory and approval authority
for the federal railway, railway companies with
HQs abroad, as well as for overhead magnetic railways.
It also carries out State supervision over non-federal
railways, with accountability to the 13 federal
States. A Notified Body has been set up at EBA
for the purposes of the railway Interoperability
Directive which promotes the development of European
high speed rail traffic without border stops.
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|
The
Netherlands:
The Transport
Safety Board was set up by statute in the
Netherlands on 1st July 1999. Its remit is to
conduct independent investigation into the causes
of accidents or incidents in all transport sectors
(aviation, shipping, rail, road traffic and pipe
lines).
Railned
is the organisation for capacity management and
railway safety within the Netherlands. It coordinates
the functional use of the infrastructure and supervises
its safe implementation. Railned is an autonomous
organisation that operates by order of the Ministry
of Transport and Public Works. It is independent
of any transport company and operates on behalf
of all rail transport companies that use the Dutch
railway network.
|
|
Ireland:
The Department
of Public Enterprise has a major part to play
in providing a supportive framework to the industry
through its policy making and regulatory functions
in the areas of air travel, airports, haulage
transport and passenger transport, and through
its role as shareholder in the commercial state
transport companies.
|
|
Sweden:
Banverket,
the Swedish Rail Authority, has overall responsibility
for the rail transport system in Sweden. It takes
overall responsibility for the function, development
and role of the railway in society as well as
operating and managing the state-owned track infrastructure.
The Swedish Railway Inspectorate is part of Banverket's
organisation although its directors are appointed
by the Swedish Government.
|
|
Australia:
The Australian
Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) was created
in 1999 in the Department of Transport and Regional
Services. It combines the expertise and safety
resources of:
- the
Bureau of Air Safety Investigation (BASI), responsible
for investigating accidents, serious incidents,
incidents and safety deficiencies involving
civil aircraft operations in Australia;
- the
Marine Incident Investigation Unit (MIIU) investigates
marine incidents under the Navigation (Marine
Casualty) Regulations and publishes reports
identifying the circumstances and determining
the causes of marine accidents; and
- a
new Rail Safety Unit.
|
 |
Canada:
The Transport
Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is an independent
agency created by an Act of Parliament. Its role
is to advance transportation safety through the
investigation of transportation occurrences in
the marine, pipeline, rail and aviation modes.
|
|
New
Zealand:
The Transport
Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) is
the New Zealand Crown Entity responsible for the
independent investigation of significant aviation,
rail, and marine accidents and incidents. TAIC
does not investigate road accidents or incidents
except when the circumstances may have significant
implications for the safety of, for example, the
rail transport system.
|
|
United
States:
The National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent
Federal agency charged by Congress with investigating
every civil aviation accident in the United States
and significant accidents in the other modes of
transportation -- railroad, highway, marine and
pipeline -- and issuing safety recommendations
aimed at preventing future accidents.
The NTSB is responsible for maintaining the government's
data base on civil aviation accidents and also
conducts special studies of transportation safety
issues of national significance. The NTSB provides
investigators to serve as U.S. Accredited Representatives
as specified in international treaties for aviation
accidents overseas involving U.S.-registered aircraft,
or involving aircraft or major components of US
manufacture.
The NTSB also serves as the "court of appeals"
for any airman, mechanic or mariner whenever certificate
action is taken by the Federal Aviation Administration
or the US Coast Guard Commandant, or when civil
penalties are assessed by the FAA.
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