Network Rail Standard Update 019

Did You Know?

Significant changes to how we manage track access.

From 4th March 2017, the new issue of NR/L2/OHS/019 Issue 9, goes live, with full compliance on or before 3rd July 2017. A copy of the new standard is available from the IHS-ERC website at www.ihserc.com – your organisation should have access to this.

What are the significant changes?

• A change in the role of the Responsible Manager
• Introduction of the Person in Charge (PIC)
• Introduction of a Safe Work Pack (SWP)

The new standard sets out how companies doing the work are to be involved in the planning and risk assessing of all their works.

Responsible Manager (RM)

The company planning to deliver a project ‘must’ assume the role of the Responsible Manager (RM). The duty of the RM will be to:

• Decide how work is to be prioritised, planned and delivered.
• Authorise or reject the SWPs.
• Nominate the PIC and work groups who understand the risks and complexity of the work activity being planned / delivered.
• Ensure the PIC is familiar with the planned work, the safe system, the location of the work and can implement it correctly and safely
• Ensure that SWPs are returned, checked for errors and corrected before reissue.
• The Responsible Manager ‘cannot’ act as the Person in Charge names in the Safe Work Pack (SWP)
• A responsible manager shall not be both the verifier and authoriser of any SWP.
• Authorise any lowering of a Safe System of Work requested by the PIC

Person in Charge (PIC)

The PIC will be ‘accountable’ for their own safety and the supervision, and overseeing, of the planned works delivery. This includes the risk of person(s) being struck by a train, and the task risks.

The PIC role is not a defined sentinel competence; however, they shall hold a minimum of a COSS competence.

A PIC does not have to undertake the role of the COSS, in this case the company doing the work must provide a COSS and PIC for the works, however the PIC retains ultimate accountability for the safe delivery of the work activities.

The Person in Charge (PIC) shall;

• Have knowledge of the work and all associated risks
• Ensure and verify the SWP a shift in advance, then only accept it once it is authorised by the RM
• Implement the SWP and brief the work group
• Seek authority from the RM if the Safe System of Work requires lowering in the hierarchy
• Record any errors in the SWP and return it to the RM

The Safe Work Pack (SWP)

• SWP Validation Sheet
• Task risks and controls
• Site risks and controls
• The required permits for the tasks
• Welfare Arrangements
• Part completed RT9909 (Coss Briefing Record)
• RT3181 (when required)
• Possession Arrangements- WON Extract (when required)
• Access and Egress arrangements including walking to site
• Sectional Appendices
• National Hazard Directory extracts
• Signalling, track diagrams, five-mile line plans etc.
• Emergency Arrangements

As yet, Network Rail have not developed a template for a Safe Work Pack. However, the minimum contents for a Safe Work Pack shall be in accordance with Appendix A of NR/L2/OHS/019.

The Safe Work Pack must be compiled by the appointed competent planner in collaboration between the responsible manager (RM), the person in charge (PIC), and persons with any necessary technical expertise.

The Safe Work Pack shall comprise of the following:

Summary

These changes have, in some ways, aligned the Construction Design Management Regs 2015 with NR/L2/OHS/0044 – Planning and Managing Construction Work, and the new NR/L2/OHS/019 – Safety of People at Work On or Near the Line.

It is felt that implementing these changes will, for some smaller companies, prove to be costly in terms of time and effort, and may result in additional resources being required to meet the requirements. Will it mean the end of the agency Coss if all organisations have to appoint a Person in Charge who is competent to Coss?

There will also need to be greater cooperation and communication between all parties involved, be that between the Responsible Managers, Persons in Charge and Planners; or between PCL and RCC Holders and their supply chain.

With a cross industry compliance date of 3^rd July 2017 we don’t have long to put things in place.

If you require any further information or would like a copy of the Safe Work Pack Validation Sheet please contact us by email at: info@prb-consulting.co.uk