RISSB Connect Edition 10, April 2023

INSIDE
THIS EDITION

+ Calls for Public Consultation
+ Calls for Development Group Members
+ AS 7488 Locomotive and Passenger Vehicle Flooring Update
+ Guideline: Safe Operation of Restricted Access Road Vehicles (RAV) Across Level Crossings Update
+ Code of Practice: Shunting Operations in Terminals, Yards and Maintenance Facilities Update
+ Rail Safety Conference Dinner 2 May 2023
+ NRAP Harmonisation Advisory Group Meeting
+ Invitation to take Part in Psychosocial Health Survey Closes Next Week
+ RISSB On Safely Access the Rail Corridor Committee
+ Sudha Niles Appointed to Senior Manager Systems and Program Strategy
+ Did you know?

PRODUCTS

Calls of Public Consultation

We have 5 Standards that are available for public comment.

AS 7518 Rolling Stock Suspension 
AS 7518 is an important part of Government’s ‘National Rail Action Plan’ (NRAP) through which RISSB is delivering a suite of rail component Standards to support local content policies, stimulate domestic manufacturing, de-risk supply chains and ultimately create Australian jobs.

This Standard provides the requirements, recommendations, and guidance for rolling stock suspension and the requalification of springs and dampers. The requirements aim to reduce the risk of hazards due to inadequate design or maintenance of suspension components. Visit this page for more information

AS 7520.4 Body Structural Requirements Part 4 
AS 7520.4 was first published in 2012 and the work being done now is part of its maintenance to ensure its ongoing value to industry. This Standard provides requirements for the structural strength of railway locomotives, freight vehicles, passenger vehicles and infrastructure maintenance rollingstock and one of its main purposes is to minimise risks to train crew and members of the public in the event of collisions or derailments. Visit this page for more information

AS 1085.18 Railway track material Part 18: Screw spikes and threaded inserts 
This Standard is one element of the all important 1085 series covering essential railway infrastructure components. 

AS 1085.18 provides manufacturers and purchasers with performance requirements for steel screw spikes and threaded inserts for use with sleeper plates, fastenings, and sleepers in railway permanent way. Visit this page for more information

AS 7702 Rail Equipment Type Approval
This updated Standard was informed by the findings of a study commissioned by RISSB and the Australasian Railway Association that reviewed the range of type approval processes used across the country and identified opportunities to improve outcomes.  To support a harmonised approach to type approval and the highlights of this study, the updated AS 7702 Rail Equipment Type Approval seeks to encourage harmonised type approval processes by providing guidance on:

* Cross acceptance (mutual acceptance) between rail transport operators and suppliers
* Minimum requirements for product information/acceptance pack documentation
* Recognising the competency of those undertaking type approval evaluation
* Recognition of other applied (applicable) type and trails testing. Visit this page for more information.

AS 7635 Track Geometry
The purpose of AS 7635 Track Geometry is to provide a harmonised and consistent approach to managing track geometry across jurisdictions. First published in 2013, this updated Standard provides guidance to rail infrastructure managers and other responsible parties tasked with the design, construction, commissioning, monitoring, maintenance, and modification of rail tracks in Australia. Visit this page for more information

Calls for Development Group Members

We are accepting nominations from people interested in helping us review and update AS 7630 Track Classification to incorporate all elements of corridor infrastructure. This important project is an NRAP initiative and will build and add to existing Australian Standard 7630 - Track Classification, which details rail classification and considers asset lifecycle and concept design requirements. 

View more information about the project here.  The closing date for nominations is next Friday, 14 April 2023.

AS 7488 Locomotive and Passenger Vehicle Flooring Update

On Monday, the cross-industry Development Group for AS 7488 (locomotive and passenger vehicle flooring) met to discuss the comments received during the public consultation period.

This important project covers a high volume consumable railway component (flooring) and helps support Australian manufacturers, as is objective of the National Rail Action Plan (NRAP – of which AS 7488 forms a part) overseen by the National Transport Commission.

Monday’s meeting has successfully put this project on track for delivery by the middle of this year.

Guideline: Safe Operation of Restricted Access Road Vehicles (RAV) Across Level Crossings Update

In 2022, the rail industry identified that the risk controls contained within AS 1742.7 Manual of uniform traffic control devices, Part 7: Railway crossings and AS 7658 were insufficient to address the safety risks associated with the introduction of Restricted Access Vehicles or Vehicles Operating Under Permit traversing level crossings.  It was identified that the lack of consistency in the application across various jurisdictions and the inconsistent approach might lead to reduced safety levels at level crossings. 

RISSB initiated a project to develop a new Guideline providing guidance to rail infrastructure managers, rolling stock operators and other stakeholders on managing safety risks at level crossings associated with the introduction of Restricted Access Vehicles.

During the past six months, the Development Group met several times and advanced the development of this publication. The Guideline is expected to be available to industry in Q3 2023.

PRODUCTS CONT.

Code of Practice: Shunting Operations in Terminals, Yards and Maintenance Facilities Update

This Code of Practice aims to provide a consistent approach to managing shunting operations and ensure the safety of workers within the danger zone or line of fire. It complements the network rules and procedures implemented for shunting and marshalling by rail infrastructure managers.

This Code was released for public comment last month with a notable number of comments received during the public consultation period.

The next Development Group meeting will focus on reviewing comments and incorporating them into this new Code of Practice.

TRAINING AND EVENTS

Rail Safety Conference Dinner 2 May 2023

Finalists of this year's Rail Safety Awards will be announced at the Rail Safety Conference Dinner on 2 May 2023.

Get ready to celebrate world-class safety initiatives and the people championing zero harm  in the Australian rail industry.  Come and attend this event and find out who the winners are across five awards categories.

This year's dinner will be held against the stunning backdrop of Sydney Harbour at the Museum of Contemporary Art located at The Rocks.

This event is exclusively for Rail Safety Conference attendees. So if you'd like to attend the conference and the dinner,  book a ticket for you or your team to attend by going to www.railsafetyconference.com.au. You will also find an agenda and a full list of speakers on this page.

GENERAL NEWS

NRAP Harmonisation Advisory Group Meeting

On Monday, RISSB CEO Damien White chaired a National Rail Action Plan meeting of the Harmonisation Advisory Group (this group is co-chaired with Ben Phyland, Head of Rolling Stock Development of Victoria's Department of Transport and Planning).

It was a very productive meeting in which RISSB shared progress against the 3-year work plan including the National Rolling Stock Registration System project; the ARA provided an update on their work around local content, pre-qualification and the National Management Plan Framework; and we heard updates from each of the jurisdictions and the Commonwealth.

Thank you NTC for keeping up the momentum in this important initiative! 

Invitation to take Part in Psychosocial Health Survey Closes Next Week

People interested in participating in an  industry-wide survey to better understand the psychosocial health of rail employees are reminded to self nominate by next Friday.

The short survey will cover work-related stress, job satisfaction, work-life balance, and social support and is being administered by Dr Garry Marling. The survey results will be discussed during a special MasterClass webinar on 20 June. 

If you are interested in participating in this survey, please send an email with your name, position, company and phone number to this email address: garry.marling@ringoapp.com.au
by COB Friday, 14 April 2023.

RISSB On Safely Access the Rail Corridor Committee

RISSB General Manager Strategy and Stakeholder Relations, Graham Jackson, and Training Manager, Sandra Weston, attended the newly formed SARC Governance Committee as representatives of the rail industry, to provide co-leadership with the ARA in the development of a national Safely Access the Rail Corridor (SARC) product.  

The National Rail Action Plan  recognised that Australia needs to grow the rail workforce and to make it easier for people to move to where the work is and have their current skills recognised.   In line with this plan, the development of a national and generic SARC process and product will address the challenges of a lack of national standards which is causing massive inefficiencies within the rail industry and the need for workers to constantly repeat their SARC qualification when moving between organisations.

Work has commenced with the ARA and RISSB jointly reviewing the most recent ‘online’ version of the course with plans to build a high-level course outline followed by an expression of interest for the digital requirements of the course.  Ultimately the practical assessment will be simulated online through 'gamification’ or video simulation with face-to-face options available for remote locations. 

We will keep you informed as the work progresses

PEOPLE

Sudha Niles Appointed to Senior Manager Systems and Program Strategy

Sudha Niles has been appointed to the position of Senior Manager Systems and Program Strategy.

This strategic role is responsible for delivering more value to our key stakeholders and providing the leadership, facilitation and development of RISSB’s quality system, the function, design and integration of its industry-facing IT systems, and the strategic guidance of RISSB’s program of Australian Code of Practice publications.