The guidance provided by the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator about the requirement to submit a notification of change included limited detail about the extent or type of changes that necessitated a notification. In addition, with regard to ‘a safety critical element of rolling stock’, it did not provide detail with regard to the interpretation of ‘safety critical’ and the applicability to equipment that may not be inherently part of rolling stock (such as remote control equipment).
On 7 October 2022, ONRSR advised that it was ‘planning to add additional guidance with regards to safety critical elements when The ONRSR Way is next updated (anticipated to be released in 2023).’
ATSB comment
The ATSB anticipates that additional guidance for the criteria for notification of change will help ensure that ONRSR is notified of important safety-related changes, and accordingly will monitor progress on the ONRSR safety action.
