SAFETY REGULATOR WELCOMES NEW RAIL INDUSTRY SAFETY BODY (RSSB)

HSC press release C009:03 - 1 April 2003

The Health and Safety Commission and Executive (HSE) have welcomed the Rail Regulator's announcement establishing the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) and confirming the appointment of the new organisation's Chairman and Chief Executive.

Bill Callaghan, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) said "I believe this new body will help create a culture of continuous health and safety improvement by providing leadership on health and safety for the whole of the railway industry. It is vital that all parts of the industry give their full support to RSSB's work."

The creation of a new rail industry safety body was recommended by Lord Cullen in Part 2 of the Ladbroke Grove Inquiry Report. RSSB's key functions will be to produce the industry's collective health and safety plan, monitor and review its health and safety performance and manage the industry's process for setting safety standards. HSE will be working with RSSB to ensure that the standard-setting process takes account of the wider membership of RSSB as well as the wider scope for standards envisaged by Lord Cullen and European developments. HSE remains the independent health and safety regulator for the railway industry.

Modifications have been made to the licences held by train operators, infrastructure contractors and Network Rail to enable RSSB to take up it its functions.

Alan Osborne, HSE's Director of Rail Safety said "RSSB provides an excellent opportunity for the industry to take forward a new leadership approach to improving health and safety performance. We in HSE look forward to working in close co-operation alongside RSSB in achieving this objective"

Notes to editors

1. The establishment of the Rail Safety and Standards Board and the appointment of its new Chairman and Chief Executive were announced today (1 April 2003) by the Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR).

2. Lord Cullen's inquiry into the Ladbroke Grove train disaster on 5 October 1999 recommended that the Rail Regulator should establish this new rail industry safety body through amendments to licence conditions.

3. The Rail Regulator's final conclusions and the proposed modifications to Network Rail's network licence and to train operators' licences were published on 24 February 2003. (www.rail-reg.gov.uk/)

4. HSE remains the independent health and safety regulator for the rail industry.

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