NEW SAFETY REGULATIONS

Posted on 09 April 2009 by Railways Africa Editor

On 2 April, South Africa’s Railway Safety Regulator announced new safety standards designed to reduce the incidence of rail accidents. It also aims to tighten rules overseeing operators such as the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa), Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) and about 250 smaller rail operators such as mines and farmers.

Through amendments to the National Railway Safety Regulator Act, the regulator will be empowered to impose fines on operators that do not comply with the new standards, which broadly cover infrastructure and rolling stock.

Railway Safety Regulator CEO Mosenngwa Mofi was quoted saying that one of the highest risks in railway operations is where the activities of two or more operators meet, or when a train moves from one network to another. There have to be consistent standards, he said, for train signalling to ensure that there was no misinterpretation of intent. Another example was that the brakes of different locomotives, wagons and coaches on the same train had to be consistent.

The regulator’s general manager of safety assurance Carvel Webb was quoted saying the country has four times more derailments and rail accidents “than the international norm, “incurring costs of about R2 billion over the past three years.

Tags | PRASA, Railway Safety Regulator, Transnet Freight Rail

W van Zyl

The Rail Safety Regulator should regulate railway contractors too. The are some serious fly-by-night contractors who do not even contribute to the Compensation Fund, nor have Contractors All Risk insurance. The RSR should consider some type of affiliation in conjunction with the CIDB.

These fly-by-hight contractors can quote far less that contractors who comply with all the statutory regulations and registrations. They are used by private rail siding owners just for a cheeper price. Some of these companies are international companies with "strict" safety requirements and H&S agreements and even Provincial Governments.

Railway maintenance contracts were given to contractors with no proper equipment nor transport to maintain a railway line that carries passenger trains. This risk just for a lower tender price!

Recently a contractor appointed a "Track Master" who has not even been near a railway line in the past 20 years. Some contractors allow people to supervise maintenance work without any formal training. The RSR should look at registration for Track Masters and Inspectors and continuous training similar to that of Registered Professional Engineers.