Your partner in rail health and safety
RSSB was created to provide an independent organisation to help improve rail's safety. We have worked together with industry to make big strides in safety and health since our founding.
This is not because no action was being taken on safety or health at that point. Far from it. Several bodies, and all the train companies themselves, were taking actions to improve safety and health. But the effectiveness of those actions was limited. Industry needed an independent body with oversight and the ability to analyse incidents as well as accidents. It also needed to be independent of requirements for action after accidents. So RSSB is proudly independent, with oversight of the whole industry but no power to compel actions after accidents.
How our groups help
We know that our collation of data, and our analysis, tools, and strategies, must be trusted by industry. We have a wealth of formally constituted groups working collaboratively to enable this. They are made up of both industry experts and our experts, which ensures proper representation from industry. For instance, we have the Asset Integrity Group, the National Freight Safety Group, and the Road Risk Group, to mention but three.
Each group has the formal task of addressing the problems within its remit. Together, members of each group to identify significant problems and then devise solutions with industry support. At all points of this process, industry is kept informed of progress.
Collaboration and sharing of knowledge through the risk groups provides great benefits to the industry. The collaboration between groups and industry brings us together to continually improve health and safety risk management and achieve the vision set out for the Rail Health and Safety Strategy.
Data is vital
Data underpins all of this. Sharing data with us means that we can analyse it and identify where industry's pain points are. Working with industry experts in groups using that data identifies effective responses to those problems. And analysing data means that, with the groups, we can identify emerging issues that industry needs to respond to. The improvements in data analysis, and the increasing use of artificial intelligence, mean that data is only going to increase in value.
Our Annual Health and Safety Report (AHSR) highlights key statistics to help us address risks. We are working on this year's AHSR which will be released in July 2024.
Our expert support, data analysis, and tools help our members collaborate and deliver the healthiest safest affordable railway in the world.
For more information
Read our Annual Health and Safety Report.
Each group identifies significant problems and develops solutions with industry support.
Sharing and analysing data is vital.