Is it Time to Review Railway Safety Permit Requirements?

[John Ashworth]

Reflecting on the Safety Management System (SMS) Determination: Is It Time to Review Railway Safety Permit Requirements?

The safety of railway operations in South Africa is high on the agenda for the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) and railway operators alike. While the strategies for improving railway safety may often center around railway occurrences, it is becoming increasingly apparent that railway safety cannot only be limited to the absence of occurrences or only focus on compliance-driven safety initiatives. Instead, evidence suggests that the effective management of safety requires a more holistic approach where safety transcends the need to avoid undesirable events, while also focusing on creating organisations that are resilient to dynamic risks and complex changes across the system. In line with this, local and international best practices and case studies support the need for the systemic management of safety through the development and implementation of safety management systems (SMS)...