Safety Initiatives at TasRail

Ian Chapman

Executive Manager Safety Health Environment & Corporate Risk

9:30 CASE STUDY

Safety Initiatives at TasRail

Enhancing Safety through Collaboration

Safety Initiatives at TasRail

– Safety, Health and Environment are key values at TasRail.

– We have a genuine care for the health and wellbeing of

staff, contractors and the wider community.

– TasRail established 2010 with inherited poor safety

systems and culture and evident this needed to improve.

– The SHE Strategy focus’ on programs, actions and

activities in the areas of:

– What we reference

– What we do

– How we act

Three Elements of SHE Initiatives

SAFETY CIRCLE

How We Act

GO HOME SAFE & WELL

What We Reference (SHE Documents / System)

What We Reference

• Improve the Document framework and protocols:• Legislative and accreditation requirements

• Stakeholder expectations met

• Simplification and access to required information

• Review each set of common documents• Standardise/amalgamate

• Rank according to risk • Hazard exposure

• History of Incidents

• Severity of Incidents

• Workshop - group discussion, concerns, etc.

• Test/verify workability of proposed changes.

• Timeframe for feedback

• Implementation (training and validation of effectiveness).

How we Act (SafetyCircle)

How we Act

SafetyCircle

• Is a workplace cultural change program using

straight forward language and ideas.

• Designed to build a positive SHE culture by

empowering each employee

• Provides linkages between a safe workplace and

a healthy and happy life.

• SafetyCircle is about acknowledging everyone

has a reason to want to “Go Home Safe and Well

Today”

What we Do (Work Practices)

• SHE Strategy• Improved systems and usability

• Improved safety leadership and culture

• Focused Risk Control:

• high consequence / low probability;

• low consequence / high probability;

• Sustainable reduction in injury / incident rates;

• Derailment Prevention Strategy;

• Level Crossing Strategy.

• Environment Management System

What we Do

• Plan on a Page• Plan On A Page (POAP) is used to identify key

initiative for:

• Systems improvement / Safety Health and Environment

exposures

• The POAP signed off by the Executive as the

documented Action Plan for the financial year

• Forms part of the SHE Strategy: agreed actions;

persons responsible for implementation; timelines

for activation / completion.

• Contains a traffic light and trend monitoring

process for reporting to the Board / Executive /

SHE Committees and all personnel.

What we Do

• Engineering over Administrative

Controls

• TasRail traditionally had a Systems /

Administrative based control for one of the

highest risk activities – Safeworking

Protection

• TasRail introduced in two stages the:

• Advanced Network Control System

(ANCS)

• Melba Line = November 2014

• Full Network = January 2015

ANCSThe Advanced Network Control System (ANCS) is

a computerised SafeWorking system that uses

GPS tracking and data radios to report the

location of locomotives and road rail vehicles

situated on the TasRail Network

• As part of ANCS all locomotives and RRV’s

re fitted with an On Board Computer known

as the OBC.

• When the OBC is powered up it will

automatically start in its last location. • The OBC sends a position report to the Network

Control office (Kings Meadows). If the locomotive

is not registered in the Network Control “yard list”

a “yard limit” alarm will be raised in the Network

Control office.

OBC

TasRail Operations

• Track Warrant Control Limits

• Track users within TWC Limits are allocated

Track Warrants by a central Network Controller

with ANCS checking for conflicting Track

Warrants

• Yard

• Yards Operate under “local control”

arrangements. (mainline on ANCS)

• Track Maintenance

• Track maintenance gangs and RRV’s are

provided the same level of safeworking

protection as trains

TCS ArchitectureAn overview of the TasRail Train Control System architecture

Vehicle

Interfaces

GPS

Receiver

Train Sentinel In-Vehicle

Display (IVD)

Train Sentinel

Control Module

(Onboard Computer)

Data

Comms

Control

Centre

Redundant

Servers

Workstations

Data

Radio

Onboard

Voice

Comms

Communications

Management

System

TCS

Train Control Centre (TCC)

Control Centre

On-board Equipment

Summary

KEY BENEFITS OF (ANCS)

• Fully automated system, reducing risk of Safeworking

breaches

• Provides full visibility of Trains and RRV’s on the network

in real time (including any speeding and or Track Warrant

breach)

• Improved capacity to manage and monitor track work

and train movements

• Increases productive track access time

• GPS positioning improves accuracy of Train and RRV

location

• Provides safer working environment (previous system

required an excessively high reliance on procedural

compliance)

The Journey for TasRail

Questions ?