The UIC Safety Platform Steering Group meeting took place on 6 February in Paris under the leadership of the new Chairman Peter Kleinschuster (ÖBB), who succeeds Jean-Michel Richard (SNCF).
UIC Director General, Jean-Pierre Loubinoux took this opportunity to thank Jean-Michel Richard very warmly for his professional involvement in UIC activities over the last years and wished him all the best for the future. Simultaneously he informed the participants about the future orientation and activities of UIC as a worldwide organisation, especially as a technical platform for the railway actors.
During the “informal session” (first part of the meeting) the participants were informed about significant developments in the field of railway safety, accidents and incidents.
The Chairmen of the Safety Platform Working Groups presented the results and next steps of their work:
System Safety Management Group (SSMG) / CER Safety Support Group:
- Items of the 4th Railway Package
- The intention to create a “Single Safety Certificate”
- Responsibilities of the actors in the transport chain
- Extension of the “Certification of Entity in Charge of Maintenance” (CECM)
- ERA “Quick response” Task Force
- Drafting of common position papers with EIM
- Preparation of the next meeting with ILGGRI (International Liaison Group of Governmental Railway Inspectorates)
Occupational Health and Safety Group (OHSG):
- Noise at work space
- Data collection of “Accidents at work”
Human Factors WG:
- Finalisation of the study “Training staff to handle disruptive situations”
- Safety Culture, study work programme
Safety Performance Group (SPG) / Safety Database (SDB):
- SDB Activity Report
- Benchmarking of selected events
International Railway Safety Network (IRSN):
- Results of questionnaires on safety related issues
- Information exchange about accidents and incidents
Isabelle Fonverne reported on activities related to Level Crossing Safety:
- International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) on 7 May 2013, during the “2nd UN Global Road Safety Week”; www.ilcad.org
- hosted by UN ECE in Geneva with an international press conference, a round table and a dedicated ILCAD stand in an exhibition on road safety initiatives.
- Preparation of a multidisciplinary group on level crossing safety to be hosted at UN ECE in Geneva
- Feasibility study launched by ESA (European Space Agency) to investigate the possibility of using satellite technology to improve safety at level crossings
Peter Gerhardt reported on the global activities of the UIC Safety Unit:
- Setting up a Regional Safety Database
- Workshops on Human Factors issues
- Participation in international and regional seminars and conferences
He announced the 23rd International Railway Safety Conference (IRSC) taking place from 6 to 11 October 2013 in Vancouver/Canada:
http://www.irsc2013.com
The main conference theme this year: “Enhancing Railway Safety through Innovation, Community Partnership and effective Safety Management”.
Save the date: The UIC Safety Platform Plenary meeting is to be held from 22 – 23 October 2013 at UIC HQ in Paris.
