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Rail Occurrence Notification
Section 63 of the Rail
Safety Act 2008 and Clauses 27 and 28 of the Rail
Safety (General) Regulation 2008 specify the requirements for reporting
notifiable occurrences. Broadly, they require that accredited rail operators
report a safety occurence if it:
- Occurs in or on railway premises or with respect to a railway or the
infrastructure of a railway, and
- results in or may potentially result in a derailment, a collision,
a fatality, permanent or temporary incapacitating injury to any person,
substantial damage to railway premises or any other property in or
on railway premises or substantial damage to other property, and
- Arises out of any of the following circumstances:
- an act or omission of a railway employee,
- an act or omission by any other person,
- a failure, defect or design fault in equipment on rolling stock,
- a failure, defect or design fault in the infrastructure of a railway,
- a failure to comply with safe working procedures,
- a fire or explosion,
- inadequacy or failure of systems for the safe operation, construction
or maintenance of a railway,
- environmental conditions.
More specific detail on the matters that must be immediately reported to
OTSI is contained as an attachment to the Notification of Occurrence
form published by the Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator
(ITSRR). This form details that any Category A safety occurrence including:
- Death
- Serious personal injury
- Derailment (On running line)
- Collision between trains, obstructions, etc. on running lines
- Collision with road vehicle or person at a level crossing including
a pedestrian crossing
- Fire affecting rail infrastructure or rolling stock
- Explosion affecting infrastructure or rolling stock
Must be reported immediately to the OTSI Duty Officer 24 hours a day by
telephoning 1800 677 766.
A '72 Hour' report must also be completed and sent to OTSI by fax or e-mail.
Sample '72 Hour' reporting form - Word
file (70 kb); PDF file
(63 kb).
The report should include:
- The name of the railway organisation or railway organisations involved.
- The name of a contact officer who has full details of the incident and
is preferably at the scene.
- A phone number on which the contact officer may be immediately contacted.
- Brief details of the incident, e.g. passenger train derailed, number
of fatalities/injuries, emergency service attendance, emergency management
actions, etc.
Written notification of the occurrence should be forwarded to the ITSRR
in a manner consistent with their requirements.
