Latest Updates in Risk and Safety Intelligence

This month we completed the release of Safe Insights. It’s gone very well, and users have given great feedback on the new system and how responsive we’ve been to their questions and issues. RSSB members have now migrated to the new system, and SMIS has been switched off after 27 years. Account managers from the RSI team worked with more than 40 operators to ensure a smooth transition. The go-live follows a huge amount of work from RSSB’s IT team, who built the tool, and extensive user training from RSI, which achieved a Net Promoter score of over 80. 

‘Very helpful staff and informative training. I like how they make themselves available to contact with any problems in the future, too.’ Safe Insights / Power BI training attendee

RSSB’s Ella Dahan presented the results of a knock-on risk research project at the Network Rail Operations Director Forum and at the Rail Delivery Group’s Work-Related Violence Group. The research quantified the safety implications of delays on the rail network. The feedback was very positive, with participants commenting on the importance and usefulness of the outputs. The outputs will help to set principles for managing disruption during adverse events as well as strengthen business cases related to tackling delays and disruptions. The final report has been published here.

Members of RSI, along with colleagues from the University of Huddersfield, presented the latest findings from our research on guidance for derailed trains to the project steering group. The research has investigated the effectiveness of different devices that could prevent a derailment from escalating. The devices are: guard rails, duo-block sleepers, and equipment fitted to trains. We have developed an ultra-local derailment risk model with a 25-metre granularity to identify locations where fitment might be cost-beneficial. The work will address a Carmont recommendation and will help improve safety while avoiding unnecessary cost.

RSSB’s Abigail Charles led a session for members to kick-off the update to our safety-related cost-benefit analysis guidance and tool. LNER’s Anthony Pateyjohns is project sponsor, with additional input from MTR Elizabeth line, Scotrail, Network Rail, and ORR.

The new web interface and data processing capability for version 2 of the Red Aspect Approaches to Signals (RAATS) toolkit has been developed. Version 2, which will be released this year, features more signals and an enhanced interface.

We ran a workshop for colleagues from Network Rail, train operators, and RSSB to address the risk from speeding over junctions. This will support the development of a tool to identify high-risk junctions and address a recommendation from the Spittal Junction investigation.

6 regular safety performance reports published.

914 RHSS data hub page visits since April 2024.

11 data requests and member enquiries closed out.

34 platform-train interface risk assessments completed by members using the tool.

601,020 events reported in SMIS since the new system went live in 2017.

212,069 events reported (since the first form launch in January 2021) using the new, simpler SI forms, saving at least £568,971 worth of effort.

99.6% new SMIS/SI event data were available in business intelligence within 15 minutes of entry.

52.1% SPADs since 1 April 2021 with completed cause forms (↑1.3% from last period).