THE RAILWAYS (SAFETY MANAGEMENT) REGULATIONS (NORTHERN IRELAND) 2006

Basic elements of the safety management system

2.  The basic elements of a safety management system are—

(a)a statement of the safety policy which has been approved by the chief executive and communicated to all persons carrying out work or voluntary work directly in relation to the operation;

(b)qualitative and quantitative targets for the maintenance and enhancement of safety and plans and procedures for reaching those targets;

(c)procedures to meet relevant technical and operational standards or other requirements as set out in—

(i)TSIs;

(ii)national safety rules;

(iii)other relevant safety requirements; and

(iv)decisions of the Department addressed to the railway operator in question,

and procedures to ensure compliance with the requirements listed in this paragraph throughout the life–cycle of any relevant equipment or operation which is subject to the requirement in question.

(d)procedures and methods for carrying out risk evaluation and implementing risk control measures when—

(i)there is a change in the way in which the operation in question is carried out; or

(ii)new material is used in the operation in question,

which gives rise to new risks in relation to any infrastructure or the operation being carried out;

(e)provision of programmes for training of persons carrying out work or voluntary work directly in relation to the operation and systems to ensure that the competence of such persons is maintained and that they carry out tasks accordingly;

(f)arrangements for the provision of sufficient information relevant to safety—

(i)within the operation in question; and

(ii)between the operator in question and any other railway operator or an applicant for a safety certificate or a safety authorisation who carries out or who intends to carry out operations on the same infrastructure;

(g)procedures and formats for the documentation of safety information;

(h)procedures to control the lay out of, and changes to, vital safety information;

(i)procedures to ensure that accidents, incidents, near misses and other dangerous occurrences are reported, investigated and analysed and that necessary preventative measures are taken;

(j)provisions of plans for action, alerts and information in the case of an emergency which are to be agreed with any public body, including the emergency services, that may be involved in such an emergency; and

(k)provisions for recurrent internal auditing of the safety management system.