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  • Freight Safety

Freight Safety

Sustainable safe freight growth

Asset management is one of five key risk areas that industry will address through the Rail Health and Safety Strategy (the Strategy). The risk area covers asset integrity and freight safety.

Introduction

Freight is rapidly evolving, reliable, safe, and green sector that contributes £2.45bn to the economy annually. To achieve further growth to meet the government’s 2050 target of a 75% increase requires reliable and safe delivery of services.

Improved collaboration and the development and application of data-led good practice approaches across freight operators will be key.

The Strategy is aiming to achieve ‘sustainable safe freight growth’. The strategic initiatives to address this critical risk area are listed below.

  • Strategic initiatives:
    • Risk relating to freight fleet condition and underlying causes better understood
    • Develop metric for freight wagon failure risk
    • Development of a one source approach for freight data across the industry
    • Improvements in compatibility between train preparation and maintenance specifications
    • Common strategy for freight safety data
    • Freight vehicle condition meets safety and performance needs of the industry

Freight Topics

Common Principles for Managing Fatigue in the Freight Sector
A new code of practice for managing fatigue risk will help you understand the rail freight sector’s views on how fatigue risk should be managed. It has been collaboratively written by freight operating companies from across the GB rail industry.
Common Safe System of Work
A large part of the safety risk on railways arises at the interfaces between operators. To reduce the risk, freight operators and their contractors are encouraged to work together to produce a single, site-specific common safe system of work (CSSoW).
During-shift fatigue assessment tool
A new tool is helping freight organisations better assess and manage driver fatigue levels during their shifts.
Freight Research Programme
Our freight-driven research programme is helping the sector find the solutions it needs to optimise its operations. It will ensure that it retains existing customers, attracts goods currently carried by road, and plays its part in rail and national decarbonisation plans.
Freight Safe Programme
This programme includes activities that align with existing strategies, as well as ‘priority projects’ identified in the independent Major Risk Review.
Freight Safety Data Hub
The Freight safety data hub provides details on freight related accidents and incidents to inform decision making and improve safety.
Gauging for Freight Vehicles
Gauging of freight vehicles contributes to safe operation. Freight gauging checks for sufficient clearance between moving vehicles and infrastructure to help prevent collisions.
Helping you manage fatigue risk while on call
Managing fatigue risk is a joint responsibility between an employer and an employee. When on call your work schedules and sleep-wake patterns can be unpredictable. Here we provide a Good Practice Guidance to offer practical strategies and tips to help staff better manage fatigue when on call.
Rail Health and Safety Strategy
The five-year strategy for the rail industry, aiming to deliver the healthiest, safest affordable railway in the world.
Tackling Freight Derailment
Taking a look into the reasons why freight wagons derail, in particular when due to interactions of track, vehicle and offset load.
Wagon Condition Programme
The Wagon Condition Programme (WCP) was set up by the sector's Freight Safe Programme to further investigate and address the risk from wagon condition

Additional information

  • Data and performance documents
    • Annual Health and Safety Report 2022/23 Data - Freight derailment
    • Freight safety performance overview Q2 2023/24
    • Freight safety performance overview Q3 2022/23
    • Freight safety performance overview Q1 2022/23
  • Other asset management topics
    • Asset Integrity
  • Related content
    • Podcast series: Freight
    • RED 67 which focusses on the risks faced by freight
    • RED 17 The Industry's Most Hazardous Job
  • Relevant Risk Groups
    • Freight Technical Committee
    • National Freight Safety Group
    • Freight Safe Steering Group
    • Rail Freight Operations Group
    • Rolling Stock – Freight Wagons Technical Specification for Interoperability - National Technical Specification Notice Mirror Group
    • Telematic Applications for Freight and Passenger Services TSI NTSN Mirror Group
See also
  • Fatigue and Alertness
  • Healthy Workplaces manage stress
  • Key Messages from Risk Groups
  • Network Rail Safety Central
  • ORR - Health and wellbeing programme summary 2014-19
  • Six HSE management standards
  • Workforce Health and Wellbeing
Do you need to get in touch with this group?
Contact our expert for more information.
Dougie Hill   NFSG
Dougie Hill
https://customer-portal.rssb.co.uk
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