Have your say on rail safety worker fatigue

The NTC has prepared a draft regulatory impact statement (RIS) to examine options for further regulations for the hours of work and rest for rail safety workers beyond those included currently in the new Rail Safety National Law.

These proposed options will be explored in a series of consultation forums to be held by the NTC and the National Rail Safety Regulator Project Office in March.

NTC project director Dr Jeff Potter encouraged all those with an interest in rail fatigue to consider putting in a submission or registering to attend one of the forums.

“We’ve done a lot of work with stakeholders over the last two years to ensure we get the proposed requirements right,” Dr Potter said.

“This is an opportunity to ensure that all the relevant matters are considered before any proposal is submitted to Ministers for approval in May 2012.”

Currently, there are variations in how states and territories regulate hours of work and rest for rail safety workers. This can be costly and confusing for the rail industry, particularly interstate operators.

The new Rail Safety National Law was endorsed by the Australia’s transport ministers on 4 November 2011. This law, once enacted, will establish a single national rail regulator, and create a single consistent body of rail safety law for that regulator to administer across Australia.

It includes requirements to manage the safety of rail operations and establish systems to manage safety risks, including the risk posed by fatigue of rail safety workers.

Next month’s forums will provide an overview of the options to streamline regulatory arrangements and give participants a chance to ask questions and have their say. The forums will follow the release of a draft RIS on February 27 on the NTC website (www.ntc.gov.au) which explores the impacts, costs and benefits of the options.
 
Registrations for the forums are now open online: http://emgevents.com/event/ntc/

For more information about the National Rail Safety Regulator visit: www.nrsrproject.sa.gov.au

The Regulator will commence operation by January 2013.