Work of HM Railway Inspectorate (HMRI)

The work of Inspectors

HM Railway Inspectors are involved in:

Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety Regulations) 2006 (ROGS)

From 10 April 2006, Inspectors will be assessing whether railway operators and railway infrastructure managers on the mainline railway are complying with the new requirements of ROGS by maintaining a Safety Management System (SMS). Inspectors will issue a safety certificate (or ‘authorisation’ for infrastructure managers) indicating that the SMS has been accepted by the safety authority (ORR) before that operator/infrastructure manager is allowed to operate.

HMRI will also assess the following additional safety work under ROGS. 

Safety critical work

ROGS includes provisions for the managerment of safety critical workers’ competence, fitness and fatigue. Safety critical tasks must be carried out by a competent person. 

Safety verification

The SMS will need to include details of how safety verification will be managed by the dutyholder.

Safety certification

For mainline railways, the Safety Certificate will be according to a European harmonised format and will comprise two parts:

• Part A – a “European portable” certificate demonstrating safety authority (ORR in GB) acceptance of generic SMS components; and
• Part B – a certificate demonstrating safety authority acceptance of the national provisions adopted by a railway operator.

For other railways, such as London Underground Limited, a safety certificate and authorisation will be required, as a continuing provision to maintain standards for safety management, as afforded by the current Railway Safety Case Regulations.

Interoperability

Work on high speed lines is assessed by HMRI under the Interoperability Regulations 2006.