AUSTRALIA: The results of research carried out by the Co-operative Research Centre for Rail Innovation into fatigue and drug/alcohol misuse are to be incorporated into the proposed National Rail Safety Law under the ongoing reform of safety regulation across the country.
With the exception of those applying in New South Wales, all state and territorial regulations regarding railway staff fatigue and drug misuse are to be rationalised into a single set of provisions under NRSL. These will be drafted using CRC’s research into risk-based fatigue management, with input from the Australasian Railway Association.
CRC’s study, which was completed at the end of last year, marks a ‘shift away from a prescriptive approach to working hours towards a more systematic approach to risk management’.
Guidelines will then be drafted by the Rail Industry Safety & Standards Board to allow operators to introduce detailed fatigue management plans.
