Railway safety standards

Standards are a vital element in ensuring the safety of a complex inter-active system such as a railway. As the railway command structure of British Railways has changed from the former monolithic functional operating and engineering directorates to the increasingly fragmented, autonomous and, eventually to be privatised, individual businesses of the railway industry in the UK, management by a robust standards regime assumes a position of critical importance. Without good standards the industry cannot be managed safely, reliably or cost-effectively. It is essential that the safety of the railway is maintained and improved. A key component of this activity is the mandatory observation of the common core standards. Railway Group Standards represent these core standards and are produced by an open consultative process of all parties involved. They are high level performance based standards. How their requirements are met is the responsibility of the individual companies, who will need to adopt or create further related tiers of documents-specifications, procedures, instructions etc. The development of quantified risk assessment to aid decision making and determination of standards is important and welcome but the need for experienced professional judgement in matters concerning safety remains a critical factor