RIAC - Railway Industry Advisory Committee

The Railway Industry Advisory Committee (RIAC) was established in 1978 by the Health and Safety Commission.

RIAC provides advice to us on railway health and safety, exchanges information, comments on proposed new regulations and guidance and works to progress health and safety issues and other related developments within the industry.  We are reviewing the effectiveness and terms of reference of RIAC.

RIAC meets three times a year and RIAC minutes are produced.

On this page

RIAC representation

RIAC has wide representation and includes representatives of employers, employees, passengers, and government bodies. The current membership of RIAC is as follows:

  • Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF)
  • Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC)
  • British Transport Police (BTP) (observer)
  • Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT)
  • Department for Regional Development Northern Ireland (DRDNI) (observer)
  • Department for Transport (DfT) (observer)
  • Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) rail working group chair
  • Heritage Railway Association
  • Independent passenger representative
  • Infrastructure Safety Liaison Group
  • London TravelWatch
  • London Underground
  • National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT)
  • Network Rail
  • Office of Rail Regulation
  • Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) (observer)
  • Passenger Focus
  • Rail Freight Operators’ Association
  • Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB)
  • Railway Industry Association (RIA)
  • Rolling Stock Companies (ROSCOs)
  • Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA)
  • Transport for Scotland (observer)
  • Unite the Union – Amicus Section
  • Welsh Assembly Government (observer)

Jim O'Sullivan was the chair of RIAC from 1 May 2006 to 31 March 2009 when he stepped down as a non-executive director of the ORR Board.  Ian Prosser, ORR chief inspector of railways and director of railway safety is currently chairing RIAC temporarily pending the appointment of a new RIAC chair.

RIAC's Working Groups

RIAC may constitute working groups  to deal in greater detail with specific topics. They contribute to guidance on best practice, research, exchange and dissemination of information and the development of proposed legislation. Previous working groups included:

Occupational Health Working Group

The group was a sub-group to the main Railway Industry Advisory Committee (RIAC) - it provided specialist advice to RIAC on occupational health issues in the railway industry.

Human Factors Working Group

The group was responsible for developing a human factors strategy for RIAC. The strategy included an action plan for promoting the consistent use of human factors good practice in the railway industry. Human factors refer to environmental, organisational and job factors and human and individual characteristics which influence behaviour at work in a way which can affect health and safety.

Freight Working Group

The group was a sub-group to the main RIAC. It provided specialist advice to RIAC on health and safety aspects of the railway freight industry.

RIAC agreed on 24 May 2007 that the above three working groups should discontinue their meetings. The RIAC Secretariat has retained a network of experts who can be consulted on specific matters, and are encouraged to bring issues from their specialist fields to RIAC's attention.

Worker Involvement Working Group

The group was a sub-group of the main RIAC. It was tasked with providing specialist advice to RIAC on enhancing the effectiveness of worker involvement on health and safety in the railway industry.

It was a short lived working group which disbanded in 2005. The group produced the Worker Involvement Best Practice Guide.  Its terms of reference were:

  • review progress in the rail industry on workforce involvement and consultation;
  • identify good practice within the industry and recommend how this can be communicated more widely;
  • propose ways of securing endorsement for the principles of worker involvement from key players in the industry and identify practical steps for partnership initiatives which will secure improvements;
  • consider ways in which HSE Rail’s contact with safety representatives could be improved;
  • consider whether alternative solutions are needed for non-unionised workers; and
  • consider what improvements may be needed to encourage and support the work of safety reps, and ensure the availability of appropriate training.

Trespass and Vandalism Working Group

The Trespass & Vandalism Working Group was a sub-group of the main RIAC - it was tasked with providing specialist advice to RIAC on route crime.  In 1998 RIAC produced a good practice guide entitled 'Prevention of trespass and vandalism on railways'. This guidance can be obtained, free of charge, from our library.

The group was disbanded after the creation of the National Railway Crime Group (NRCG), as there was some overlap in the work and membership between the two groups.

Last updated: 21 December 2009

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