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Legislation and standards

In 2010, the Queensland Government introduced the Transport (Rail Safety) Act 2010 and the Rail Safety Regulation 2010.  These laws were enacted to provide for improvements to:

• the safe carrying out of railway operations
• the management of risks associated with railway operations
• the promotion of public confidence in the safety of transport of passengers or freight by rail.

The legislation is part of a nationwide move to rail safety consistency and is bringing cost savings to industry and increased operational efficiency.

Transitional arrangements are in place for some requirements.

Factsheets

The following factsheets contain information on Queensland’s rail safety legislation and how it may affect you.

• Accreditation (PDF, 444 KB) 
  How an applicant applies for accreditation to confirm that they are able to meet the requirements to carry out railway operations in Queensland.
• Variations to Accreditation (PDF, 440 KB) 
  Applying for variation to accreditation when a rail transport operator proposes to make a change to their railway operations.
• Contractor Management (PDF, 267 KB) 
  Contractors' compliance with the safety management system of the rail transport operator.
• Emergency Management Plans (PDF, 378 KB) 
  The requirement for rail transport operators to develop and submit an emergency management plan as part of their safety management system.
• Exemptions from Accreditation for Low Risk Railways (PDF, 348 KB) 
  Accreditation exemptions for operators of private sidings and private isolated railways from all or part of accreditation requirements.
• General Rail Safety Duties (PDF, 400 KB) 
  The concept of General Rail Safety Duties.
• Private Sidings (PDF, 256 KB) 
  Rail infrastructure managers' obligations regarding private sidings.
• Rail Safety Worker Competence (PDF, 289 KB) 
  A definition of a rail safety worker and their competency requirements.
• Interface Agreements (PDF, 272 KB) 
  The requirement for both the rail and road infrastructure managers to enter into an interface agreement to manage the safety risks at a rail or road crossing. That is, a level crossing or any area where a footpath crosses railway or at substantially the same level, or a bridge carrying a road over a railway or bridge carrying a railway over a road.
• Management of Change (PDF, 183 KB)
  Rail organisations are regularly introducing change. For example, the change may be new technology, a new or modified process, a physical change to operational areas, a new operational area and or a change to organisational structures.
• Rail Safety Officers (PDF, 552 KB)
  A definition of a Rail Safety Officers and their investigation powers.
• Risk Management (PDF, 384 KB) 
  Accredited rail transport operators' obligations in managing risks in their rail safety operations.
• Safety Management Systems (PDF, 228 KB)
  What is required for a safety management system.
• Safety Performance Reporting (PDF, 367 KB) 
  The new rail safety reporting requirements.
• Safety Management Plan (PDF, 144 KB)
  What is required for a safety management plan.
• Security Management Plans (PDF, 402 KB) 
  What is required for a security management plan.
• Transitional Arrangements (PDF, 390 KB) 
  The time that has been allowed for rail transport operators to comply with particular aspects of the new legislation.
• New Rail Safety Regulatory Requirements (PDF, 525 KB) 
  What the new legislation has introduced in Queensland for rail industry participants.
• Fees — Accreditation and private sidings (PDF, 193 KB) 
  Application fees for accreditation, annual fees and fees for registering a private siding.
• RTOs (Effective management and control) (PDF, 194 KB) 
  The considerations for determining who has effective management and control of rail infrastructure and/or rolling stock.
• Notification of change (PDF, 240 KB) 
  The timeframes allowable for accredited rail transport operators to inform the Rail Safety Regulator about certain decisions, events or proposed changes relating to their railway operations.
• Notification of Occurrences/Incident reporting (PDF, 494 KB) 
  Which rail safety related occurrences are required to be notified, their categorisation and timeframes for reporting.
• Notification of Occurences (PDF, 61 KB) 
  Category A occurrence identification tool.
• Auditing the compliance of railway operations (PDF, 400 KB) 
  The various types of audits or inspections that are conducted on accredited railways or other organisations with legislative rail safety obligations eg systems audit, compliance inspection, spot audit and operational visits.
• Compliance with the Transport (Rail Safety) Act 2010 (PDF, 378 KB) 
  The provisions of the Transport (Rail Safety) Act 2010 that apply to railway operations, rail safety work and other activities associated with railway operations. Do they apply to you or are you exempt.
• Contributing Factors Framework (PDF, 174 KB) 
  The Contributing Factors Framework (CFF) that has been specifically developed for the rail industry in Australia and provides a tool to assist in identifying the systemic safety issues which contribute to occurrences.
• Drug and Alcohol Management (PDF, 421 KB) 
  The drug and alcohol management program that accredited railways are required to have under the Transport (Rail Safety) Act 2010.
• Fatigue Management Program (PDF, 393 KB) 
  The fatigue management plan that all rail transport operators must have in place and implement as a part of their safety management system.
• Health and Fitness Program (PDF, 198 KB) 
  Accredited railways being required to have health and fitness management program(s) for employees as part of their safety management system.
• Human Factors (PDF, 176 KB) 
  Human factors which is a discipline that focuses on understanding the way humans relate to the world around them. One of its aims is to improve operational and human performance, in particular safety.
• Safety Culture (PDF, 291 KB) 
  Why accredited railways are required to have in place a Safety Policy which includes an express commitment to safety and the development and maintenance of a positive Safety Culture.
• Rail Safety Investigations (PDF, 383 KB) 
  Investigations into rail safety occurrences.