THE IMPACT OF THE RSR ON RAIL OPERATIONS

1. THE IMPACT OF THE RSR ON RAIL OPERATIONS CHALLENGES ON SAFETY PERFORMANCE AND DATA ANALYSIS MAKGATI C.K.M. IRSC 2008 DENVER, COLORADO. USA.

2. SCOPE • INTRODUCTION • WHO DO WE REGULATE: PARTIES INVOLVED • CHALLENGES ON SAFETY PERFORMANCE AND DATA ANALYSIS EXPERIENCED BY THE RSR • POSSIBLE AND IMPLEMENTED SOLUTIONS • IMPACT OF THE RSR THUS FAR • CONCLUSION

3. INTRODUCTION • THE RSR IS A FAIRLY NEW ORGANISATION • THE ACT GOVERNING IT WAS TABLED IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN PARLIAMENT ON THE 05TH DAY OF AUGUST 2002 • THE PERSONNEL POPULATING THE RSR STRUCTURE EFFECTIVELY CAME TO BEING DURING JANUARY 2006 • DURING APRIL 2006, ITS OPERATIONS TOOK SHAPE • THIS CAME LONG AFTER TRANSNET FREIGHT RAIL (SPOORNET) AND SARCC/METRORAIL WERE IN EXISTANCE

4. WHO DO WE REGULATE: PARTIES INVOLVED

5. CHALLENGES IN SAFETY PERFORMANCE AND DATA ANALYSIS • THE CHALLENGE FOR RSR TO CONDUCT ANALYSIS AND MEASURE SAFETY PERFORMANCE EMANATES FROM VARIOUS SOURCES • CRITICAL TO THESE PROCESSES ARE THE FOLLOWING: • REPORTING OF OCCURRENCES • SAFETY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS • LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS • RSR PERSONNEL

6. CHALLENGES IN SAFETY PERFORMANCE AND DATA ANALYSIS • REPORTING OF OCCURRENCES • THE RSRs GUIDELINES, STANDARD AND THE LESGISLATION REQUIRES OPERATORS TO REPORT THEIR RAIL OPERATIONS OCCURRENCES USING THE FOLLOWING FORMATS: • IMMEDIATE OCCURRENCE REPORTING • DAILY OCCURRENCE REPORTING • FOLLOW-UP REPORTING • QUARTERLY REPORTING

7. CHALLENGES IN SAFETY PERFORMANCE AND DATA ANALYSIS • THE CHALLENGE WITH REGARDS TO THESE FORMATS ARE: • INFORMATION HANDLING WITHIN THE RSR ONCE THE OPERATOR MAKES A SUBMISSION • INCOMPLETE SUBMISSIONS BY OPERATORS • NON SUBMISSIONS BY OPERATORS WITH REGARDS TO REQUIRED INFORMATION

8. CHALLENGES IN SAFETY PERFORMANCE AND DATA ANALYSIS • IMPLEMENTED SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES SURROUNDING THE ABOVE MENTIONED FOUR FORMATS ARE AS FOLLOWS: • REVISION OF THE DATA FORMAT • ENFORCING STANDARD TEMPLATES • REVISION OF THE SANS • ERRADICATION OF IGNORANCE • CLEARING HOUSE CONCEPT

9. CHALLENGES IN SAFETY PERFORMANCE AND DATA ANALYSIS • SAFETY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS • TRANSNET FREIGHT RAIL AND THE SOUTH AFRICAN RAIL COMMUTER COOPERATION FORMED 93% OF ALL RAIL OCCURRENCES DURING THE 2006/07 FINANCIAL YEARS • COLLISIONS AND DERAILMENTS • COST OF OCCURRENCES • NORMALISING FIGURES

10. CHALLENGES IN SAFETY PERFORMANCE AND DATA ANALYSIS • LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS • NON SUBMISSION OF REPORTS DUE TO THE LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE SANS CATEGORIES • SPLIT OF SANS CATEGORIES • USE OF AUDITS • ENCOURAGE SITE RESPONSIBLITY • REVISION OF THE ACT • ENCOURAGE THE USE OF SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

11. CHALLENGES IN SAFETY PERFORMANCE AND DATA ANALYSIS • RSR PERSONNEL • ELEVEN ENGINEERS FORM THE RSRs INSPECTORATE • OVER EIGHT HUNDRED OPERATIONAL SITES TO BE ADDRESSED IN ONE AUDIT CYLCLE • RSR SHOULD ENCOMPASS SUSTAINABLE INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY IN ITS STRATEGIC ENDEAVOURS • PLACE EMPHASIS ON HUMAN CAPITAL • RSR TO REVIEW ITS FOCUS AS TO TRY REACH ITS SET AUDIT AND INSPECTIONS TARGET • USE THE ACT TO DO THE WORK

12. POSSIBLE AND IMPLEMENTED SOLUTIONS • REVISION OF THE ACT, REGULATIONS AND SANS • IMPLEMENTED THE REVISED TEMPLATES • REVISED THE ACT TO ENSURE THAT THE RSR HAS MORE POWERS TO PENALIZE NON COMPLIANT OPERATORS, IS ABLE TO WITHDRAW PERMITS, ETC • CONFLICTING SANS CATEGORIES HAVE BEEN CLEARED • CATALYSE THE COMPLIANCE AUDITS • ENCOURAGE BENCHMARKING AND INTRODUCE THE NATIONAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (NIMS) • CONSIDER REVISING THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR REPORTING

13. THE RSR IMPACT THUS FAR • INCREASED NUMBER OF REPORTS SUBMITTED TO THE RSR • THE DAILY REPORTS HAVE SOME USEFUL INFORMATION ENABLING THE RSR TO MAKE DECISIONS WITHOUT THE OPERATOR INTERPRETING THIS AS A THREAT • 239 SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AUDITS AGAINST A TARGET OF 288 WERE CONCLUDED • 11 AD-HOC INSPECTIONS CONDUCTED • 09 INVESTIGATIONS INTO VARIOUS OCCURRENCES CONCLUDED • 49 SAFETY REVIEWS AND ASSESSMENTS OF NEW WORKS INCLUDING THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGY AND OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS BY MAJOR OPERATORS INCLUDING SAFETY ASSESSMENTS OF THE PROPOSED GAUTRAIN STANDARDS

14. THE RSR IMPACT THUS FAR... • AS A RESULT OF THE RSR’S INSPECTORATE ACTIVITIES, THE RSR WAS ABLE TO ISSUE THE FOLLOWING NOTICES OR DIRECTIVES OF ITS COMPLIANCE MONITORING AND ENFORCEMENT DRIVE: • 04 PROHIBITION DIRECTIVES (WHEN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO RAILWAY SAFETY IS EVIDENT) • 25 LETTERS OF NON-COMPLIANCE (FOR EXAMPLE WHEN NO ELEMENTS OF THE STANDARD WERE IMPLEMENTED) • 27 IMPROVEMENT DIRECTIVES (WHEN THERE’S POSSIBLE THREATS TO SAFETY, FOR EXAMPLE, CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE DEFECTS) • 1456 AUDIT NON-CONFORMANCES (RELATES TO RELATIVELY MINOR BUT IMPORTANT FINDINGS WITHIN THE OPERATOR’S SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM)

15. CONCLUSION • OPERATORS ARE NOW TAKING SAFETY AS A CRITICAL ENTITY TO BE CONSIDERED AT ALL TIMES WITHIN THEIR OPERATIONS • OPERATORS NOW RECORD AND MANAGE THEIR OCCURRENCES • IT IS NOW AN ACCEPTABLE FACT THAT THE RSR, THOUGH AN “INFANT”, IS MAKING AN IMPACT AND WILL CONTINUALLY STRIVE TO ENSURE THAT THE RAIL OPERATIONS ARE SAFE, SECURE AND ON TRACK!

16. THANK YOU