Duty of Co-operation
Issue 2 of the Duty of Cooperation Guide provides an update on Issue 1 which was published in October 2007. It contains guidance to transport operators on inter-company managerial cooperative arrangements to facilitate compliance with Regulation 22 of ROGS.
The guide has been developed by RSSB’s SMS Programme team, after wide industry consultation, to reflect the views of stakeholders and the many recent developments in systems and documentation for cooperation in safety management. It also contains an important new section on non-mainline operators with mainline interfaces, such as heritage and light railways.
The safe running of the system relies on transport operators sharing information and cooperating as necessary, with the ORR taking an overview as to whether the system is being run safely. ORR’s foreword to the guide states: ‘Effective cooperation is essential to the safety of the railway system as a whole, and the process for identifying and controlling interface risks is described in some detail in this guide. ORR recommends that all Railway Group transport operators follow this guidance.’
The guide provides an easy to use collation of ROGS compatible principles and requirements with both current and developing processes and activities for safety management cooperation on the British mainline rail network. Through sections B 1-5, the guide sets out a structure for managerial cooperation which is derived from plan-do-review type management systems commonly used in the railway industry, such as HSG 65 Successful Health and Safety Management.
The diagram below illustrates the various relationships between the different parties who are required to cooperate:
It is recommended that those developing an SMS should work through Part 1, the summary document, and where more information is needed, should refer to the relevant sections of, Part 2. This is available electronically on the RSSB website and via a Duty of Cooperation CD. The guide, Part 1, and the CD, have been distributed to heads of safety of RSSB members and other key personnel throughout the railway industry.
For direct access to the Duty Cooperation Guide part 1 or part 2, click on one of the images below.