RISSB Connect Edition 14, May 2023

INSIDE
THIS EDITION

+ Public Consultations
+ IRSC Conference 2023 
+ Work Commences on Mutual Recognition in Rail Skills Training
+ IRSC Conference 2023 
+ Fortescue's CEO for a Day Program
+ Rail Safety Conference 2023 Wrap Ups
+ 2023 Rail Safety Awards Winners Announced

PRODUCTS

Public Consultations

Help harmonise Australia's railways by providing feedback on one (or more) of five industry Standards in May.

AS 7518 Rolling Stock Suspension 
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 
 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 
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 Standard 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
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

GENERAL NEWS

Work Commences on Mutual Recognition in Rail Skills Training

To ensure a consistent approach in relation to safety competence and training standards, as well as reducing training time and costs for Australia’s rail transport industry, the National Transport Commission (NTC) has appointed Infrastructure Skills Advisory (ISA) to develop a model for nationally-recognised entry level rail skills training.

As part of the program, under the NTC’s National Rail Action Plan, ISA will collaborate with Australia’s 16 rail infrastructure managers to create a training model recognised across rail networks, jurisdictional borders and major projects around the nation.

The model will include a recommendation for a common set of national curricula across entry level rail courses, with a focus on safety.

Entry level rail safety skills training is essential for more than 90,000 Australian rail workers and is often required to be undertaken every two years. Different versions of rail skills training are not recognised by rail infrastructure managers in different jurisdictions, costing time and money in training and retraining the nation’s rail workforce. 

The development of a blue print for mutual recognition of courses that delivers entry level units of competence will provide a sustainable framework for future curriculum,  providing  recognised pathways for people to join the rail industry.

IRSC Conference 2023 

If you liked this year's Rail Safety Conference and would like to continue networking and learning from industry's best, then attend this year's International Railway Safety Council (IRSC) conference.

Themed Reshaping Railways in an Uncertain World this year's IRSC conference will be held in Cape Town, South Africa from 1-6 October 2023.

The event coincides with South Africa's Transport Month and will provide conference delegates with an in-depth exchange of experience and lessons for improving railway safety.

Visit the IRSC's website for more information about the conference and to register to attend.

PEOPLE

Fortescue's CEO for a Day Program

Rhett Bradley recently had the chance to step into the shoes of Fortescue CEO Fiona Hick, as part of Fortescue's CEO for a Day program.

Fortescue’s CEO for a Day program continues to provide aspiring Aboriginal leaders with the opportunity to work alongside Fortescue’s leadership team and learn how the business operates at its highest levels.

Rhett is Superintendent of Production Scheduling in Port Hedland and is a Yamatji man who joined RISSB member Fortescue in August 2021 and is a key part of the port operations leadership team.

You can read more about it here.

Congratulations to the Fortescue Team on this enduring initiative.

TRAINING AND EVENTS 

Rail Safety Conference 2023 Wrap Ups

Industry's premier Australian rail safety event, RISSB's Rail Safety Conference, wrapped up this week at the Amora Hotel Jamison Sydney.

The conference brought together more than 200 rail transport operators, engineers, project managers, investigators, safety professionals and senior industry executives, all with a deep interest in maintaining Australia’s reputation as having one of the safest rail networks in the world.

This year's conference featured more than 20 presentations; three panel discussions; a brownfield site visit; and the announcement of the winners of RISSB's 2023 Rail Safety Awards.

Conference highlights included:

 * Senator Tim Ayres, Assistant Minister for Trade and Manufacturing, delivering the first keynote of the conference and drawing attention to the need to put the shoulder to the wheel and help boost productivity, drive efficiencies, remove barriers to innovation, and build capacity in rail manufacturing in Australia.

* Chau Fat Chan Assistant Director / Railways, Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, Hong Kong SAR Government showing us how LIDAR technology is helping  MTR manage its assets efficiently and effectively.

* Peter Doggett from ONRSR for demystifying co-regulation for the mystified and showing that there are new approaches to regulation.

* The highly entertaining panel discussions on interoperability and rail safety issues and innovative and sustainable rail safety solutions

* Sandra McKay delivering a keynote address and update on the game changing National Rail Action Plan.

* Keeping level crossing safety top of mind with a presentation on insights from a driver behaviour monitoring project and a presentation on low-cost level crossing solutions for rural and regional areas.

* The celebration of individual and team rail safety achievements at this year's Rail Safety Awards

A big thank you to all of our presenters and session Chairs, for helping us deliver a conference with high value content, and thank you to our delegates for supporting this event and asking challenging questions that kept our presenters on their toes. Also, a thank you to exhibitor UVEX for showing us their wide range of safety products and partners Rail Personnel, Railway Digest and Rail Express for their media support.

If you attended the conference, presentations and photos will be made available by the end of next week.  So, keep checking your inbox for an email from info@informa.com.au.

2023 Rail Safety Awards Winners Announced

On Tuesday, 2 May we celebrated rail's safety achievements at this year's RISSB Rail Safety Awards at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney.

More than 200 people cheered on the winners in five categories :

Safety Leadership Program/Initiative Award - Metro Trains Melbourne "New Ways of Working" Project Team

Community Safety Award - Vikki Ducrow from Puffing Billy Railway

Emerging Leader Award - Julian Popowicz, Downer

Frontline Worker Safety Initiative Award - Chris Polias, Sydney Trains

Industry Safety Professional of the Year - This year there was a tie between Shayne Carvolth from Downer Rail and Transit Systems & Tristan Lynn from Rio Tinto.

And celebrated the highly commended including: Tom Leavy (Hitachi Rail), Sydney Trains "Enterprise Track Worker Program", Bridget Fazio (Degnan),  Ayse Mateo (Transport for Tomorrow), Stephanie Kokokios (Sydney Trains) and Elle Bowden (Degnan).

You all deserve the accolades and should be justifiably proud of not only your hard work, but your employer's commitment to rail safety.

Cyber Security MasterClass Webinar 9 May 2023

In its Global Risks Report 2023, the World Economic Forum has identified widespread cybercrime and cyber insecurity as a significant short-term (2 year horizon) risk with cybersecurity  remaining a constant concern.  The railway is now several years into its digitisation and cyber security journey, so what can be done to mitigate cyber security risks?

This coming Tuesday, experienced rail cyber security specialist Alexander Patton and rail risk assessor Wu Wei Hang will look at emerging challenges, offer advice on how to address them, and provide information on standards-based approaches to managing cyber security risk.

Next week's webinar will be held on Tuesday, 9 May at 12PM (AEST). Just click on the blue 'Register Now' button to secure your spot.

In 2018, RISSB published AS 7770 Rail Cyber Security. This publication specifies the requirements for rail transport operators to manage cyber security risk on the Australian railway network by maintaining a good practice approach to industrial automation and control systems and information technology. RISSB members can download this Standard from the RISSB website.