National Freight Safety Group

It will achieve this by doing the following:

• Understanding the national risk profile for freight and developing strategies improving areas of concern and communicating issues to the route groups, multi-route groups and topic groups for action.
• Obtaining verification that issues have been addressed and are being managed.
• Providing an advisory function for the System Safety Review Group (SSRG)  and industry members that the risk associated with freight is being cooperatively addressed.
• Reviewing the effectiveness of freight industry performance in managing risks.
• Promoting and facilitating the management of risk collaboratively by the most appropriate means.
• Ensuring the co-operative structure encompasses the whole of the freight railway system’s risk profile.
• Identifying good practice and sharing it with the relevant groups & stakeholders.
• Promoting improvements in co-operation amongst SMS duty holders.
• Reviewing and challenging the effectiveness of the existing freight meetings to promote safety co-operation.
• Introducing an assurance process into the active groups and the process of safety co-operation.
• Sponsor and own research and development projects.
• Understand legislation and regulation and the impacts on the industry of proposed changes to them from within the UK and Europe.
• Horizon Scan: systematically examine potential threats and opportunities to detect early signs of potentially important developments and changes to the industry risk profile.