Health and safety regulation

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) is the national health and safety authority for Britain's railways.

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Health and safety reporting

ORR has launched a new online tool for the reporting of RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995) reportable incidents. This is an easy to use form that is very similar to, and replaces, the old F2508RA and F2508RB forms. The new online form enables reporters of RIDDOR reportable incidents to enter all the details through our website and therefore does not require forms to be mailed, faxed and emailed.

Monthly reporting of dangerous occurrences is unchanged and you should continue to use the form below for this.

The Coroners Act 1988 requires every Coroner within seven days of the holding of an inquest into the death of any person who is proved to have been killed on a railway, or to have died in consequence of injuries received on a railway, to make the Secretary of State, in such form as he may require, a return of the death and the cause thereof.  Please return the completed form below to the Office of Rail Regulation, Information and Analysis team, One Kemble Street, London, WC2B 4AN.

If you have any questions regarding the form, or need to discuss reporting to the ORR in general please contact 020 7282 3910.

Accident and incident investigation

Our inspectorate investigates breaches of health and safety legislation on the railways. This section contains details of recent major rail incidents and provides detail on how to report serious incidents to us.

Regulation and certification

The Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006 (ROGS) contain much of the safety regulation for railways and other guided transport modes. They also update the legal requirements for the management of safety critical work.

  • ROGS – Provides an overview of the new legislation
  • Transition to ROGS – The transition period leading up to when ROGS was implemented.
  • Safety certificates and authorisation – Information about safety certificates and authorisation which are mandatory for the majority of the industry.
  • Safety verification – We no longer approve new infrastructure or rolling stock improvements. However, we ensure that relevant safety management systems are in place.
  • Safety Directive – Details about the initiative to have standard practices across Europe
  • Interoperability – A European initiative to promote a single market in the rail sector by removing the technical problems involved in running trains between member states.
  • Train driving licences and certificates – On 6 April 2010 the Train Driving Licences and Certificates Regulations 2010 came into force. This brings the requirement to hold a licence and certificate to drive a train into force between now and 2018.
  • Rail vehicle accessibility – On 6 April 2010 the Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Non-Interoperable Rail System) Regulations 2010 came into force giving ORR new responsibilities for monitoring and enforcing compliance with regulations designed to improve accessibility for rail passengers.

Inspections and audits

We conduct inspections and audits to check that the rail industry has the management systems in place effectively controlling health and safety risks. We also target risk areas of particular concern under ‘mandatory inspection programmes’.

Enforcement of health and safety legislation

Our policy is to aim for firm but fair enforcement of health and safety law. Issuing enforcement notices and prosecuting duty holders are some of a range of tools at our disposal.

Safety guidance and research

We provide on-site and written advice and guidance on how to comply with the law.

Key Safety topics

Our operational policy and strategic aims are contained in a number of key safety topics.

  • Worker safety – information specific to the safety of rail workers.
  • Infrastructure safety – safety information connected with infrastructure such as signals passed at danger (SPADs), stations, rolling stock and level crossings.
  • Risk profile topic strategies – on a number of key safety issues we have identified which affect the industry.

Railway Industry Advisory Committee

This committee has wide representation and includes all stakeholders from the rail industry which provides us with information about safety.

Evaluation of Railway Safety (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 1997

The evaluation of the Railway Safety (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 1997 (the regulations) is a formal part of the regulatory process required by the Government’s better regulation agenda.

Evaluation of Railway Safety Regulations 1999

The Railway Safety Regulations (RSR) 1999 required the installation of a form of train protection on the railway, and the staged withdrawal of Mark I rolling stock and of rolling stock with hinged doors but without central locking.

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