Railway Inspectorate Requirements

When senior personnel were asked specifically about the costs of health and safety, they differentiated between the marginal costs imposed by new health and safety legislation and the absolute costs of health and safety. The extra costs incurred by legislative changes were considered to be minimal because it was believed that the railways already voluntarily met minimum legislative standards. But they did admit that while they complied with most Railway Inspectorate requirements, they did not always do so because of their costs. In such cases cost-benefit calculations came into prominence ... 

There were some attempts by the industry to consider the causes and circumstances of railways accidents. In 1841, for instance, they examined the causes and circumstances of accidents and proposed their own rules, regulation, and codes. It is unclear if the intention was to avert state regulation but historians imply that this was their main intention. Alderman (1973 45) notes that Brunei saw this as a propaganda exercise to placate the government, with a view to diverting the need for state regulation (see also Parris, 1965). This said, many of the measures which the railway inspectors advocated and which were eventually required in law were adopted voluntarily by many railway companies. For example, the block... 

Important administrative requirements have been developed by the Railway Inspectorate in the form of the Railway Construction and Operations Requirements. These have been produced since the nineteenth century and detail the Inspectorate s requirements for new works. The first Requirements were written in 1858 and since then they have been developed as railway practice has developed. Although they are not mandatory the Inspectorate may not pass new... 

The infrastructure controller s safety case is required to show how safety cases from train and station operators will be assessed, and how their performance will be monitored. The HSE, represented by HM Railway Inspectorate, takes an overall role in monitoring the operation of all safety cases. This includes monitoring and auditing the infrastructure controller s activities in accepting and monitoring other safety cases. 

This accident accelerated the development and implementation by British Rail of its Total Quality Management Initiative with associated internal and external auditing. The Railway Inspectorate s remit in monitoring safety of the railways was extended and transferred from the Department of Transport to the Health and Safety Executive in order to improve its degree of independence. This accident was instrunoental in the establishment of a requirement for railway Safety Cases. 

Bartrip and Burman (1983 37 ff.) explain the difficulties of getting accurate statistics of railway accidents and injuries. For example, only a restricted range of accidents need be reported, the reporting of accidents was haphazard, and the Inspectorate lacked the powers to enforce the reporting requirements. 

Following a visit, railway employment inspectors usually sent letters which outlined the matters requiring attention. These were sent to local managers and copied to safety representatives. When such letters were sent they could be followed by a shorter check visit to ensure that outstanding matters had been rectified. 

The Inspectorate s routine enforcement activity typically involved the use of a wide array of informal non-legal enforcement techniques. These enforcement activities were generally long term and incremental in nature. Much of their work was educational and advisory. Railway employment inspectors were important disseminators of information within BR. They passed on information about how other sectors of the railway managed technical problems and identified sources of specialist help within the company. Where necessary they would advise on how to meet safety standards, while national or potentially difficult problems would be referred upwards for consideration by inspecting officers and senior managers within the railways. Likewise, they would when necessary explain the requirements and the reasons for them to managers and employees. 

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