Safety verification

What is safety verification?

ROGS contains provisions for the safety management system (SMS) to include arrangements on how safety verification  will be managed by the dutyholder.

The arrangements in the SMS must describe the process to control initial integrity risks arising from the introduction of new or altered vehicles and infrastructure. If these risks are new or significantly increased, a safety verification process must be followed.

What is the dutyholders’ responsibility?

The dutyholder must appoint an independent competent person (CP) to help them devise a written scheme of verification of the dutyholder’s project or works assessed against a set of criteria.

The CP should be appointed early in the design process to help the dutyholder select the appropriate assessment criteria. The role of the CP is not to provide 'sign-off' that a project is 'safe'. They are there to help the dutyholder to go through the right processes.

Is a safety certificate required?

No certificate will be required, but the written scheme, and the results of assessments, tests, and remedial actions should be retained by the dutyholder for the lifetime of the equipment.
We do not need to be notified of projects managed under safety verification.  There is no statutory approval required although we will be inspecting a sample of  schemes.

Are there any exceptions?

The safety verification process will not apply unless the new or altered equipment is both novel to the dutyholder and is likely to give rise to a new risk or significant increase in risk, i.e. the project (or works) must meet both of the following criteria:

1. Difference Test: the risk arising from the design is new to the dutyholder
2. Risk Test: there will be a new risk or a significant increase in risk

Projects or works where one or both of these tests do not apply will need to be managed under the dutyholder’s SMS change management procedures.

Last updated: 22 July 2011

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