OTSI works with a range of agencies and organisations in NSW, across Australia and overseas to improve transport safety.
Transport operators, manufacturers and suppliers
OTSI works with the operators (providers) of bus, ferry and rail passenger services, and rail freight services in NSW.
In our work with operators we:
- receive and respond to safety occurrence notifications, including deploying to incident or accident sites
- review investigation reports prepared by transport operators to better understand safety issues, provide feedback and to identify safety insights that could be shared
- liaise with individuals and organisations identified as a Directly Involved Party in an investigation, including issuing formal information requests and seeking feedback on the draft investigation report
- make recommendations and highlight safety issues or actions to operators
- share Safety Alerts and Safety Advisories
- investigate reports made through the Confidential Safety Information Reporting Scheme for transport employees to confidentially report safety matters in their work environment.
In our work with manufacturers and other suppliers we:
- request information related to safety incidents and issues to understand causes and risks
- liaise with individuals and organisations identified as a Directly Involved Party in an investigation, including issuing formal information requests and seeking feedback on the draft investigation report
- make recommendations and highlight safety issues or actions directed to manufacturers and suppliers
- share Safety Alerts and Safety Advisories.
Transport safety investigation agencies
OTSI has a collaboration agreement with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) under which we conduct some rail investigations in NSW. As part of this agreement, OTSI also liaises with the Chief Investigator Transport Safety in Victoria. Find out more about OTSI governance.
To share lessons and insights internationally, OTSI engages with bodies overseas including:
- UK Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB)
- Singapore Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB)
- Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB, UK)
- US Department of Transportation (TSB, USA)
- Transport Safety Board of Canada (TSB, Canada)
- National Transport Safety Board (NTSB USA)
Safety regulators
We engage with the following organisations which provide regularity oversight for bus, ferry and rail safety in NSW:
- the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR)
- Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA)
- Transport for NSW (TfNSW) - see more information
- the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR)
- the Port Authority of New South Wales (Port Authority)
- SafeWork NSW .
We work with the regulators in several ways:
- seeking clarification or additional information on incident reports received by OTSI (different arrangements for supplying data apply for each mode – see Notifiable Occurrences)
- liaising with individuals and organisations identified as a Directly Involved Party in an investigation, including issuing formal information requests and seeking feedback on the draft investigation report
- engaging on known and emerging safety risks to identify solutions
- making formal recommendations for regulators to implement safety actions following an OTSI investigation
- collaborating through safety promotion activities.
Transport for NSW
Transport for NSW (TfNSW) leads the development of safe, integrated and efficient transport systems for NSW including transport planning, strategy, policy, procurement and other non-service delivery functions across all modes of transport – roads, rail, ferries, light rail and point to point. TfNSW is the bus safety regulator managing the Bus Operator Accreditation Scheme (BOAS). It specifies contracts for public passenger transport services and oversees the procurement of transport assets.
OTSI maintains an ongoing dialogue with TfNSW to highlight safety issues for action. We have a memorandum of understanding with TfNSW which outlines the roles and responsibilities of the two agencies and sets out the terms under which both agencies will cooperate, collaborate and share information.
Other organisations
OTSI engages with a variety of other organisations as part of its investigations and safety promotion.
These include:
- Industry bodies such as BusNSW, the Rail Industry Safety and Standards board, Bus Industry Confederation, Australasian Railway Association, TrackSAFE and Commercial Vessels Association
- Unions including the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, Transport Workers Union, Maritime Union of Australia, and Australian Martime Officers Union.
- Other government agencies (such as NSW Police, NSW Fire and Rescue and the Coroner).
For more information on the work we do and our commitment to safety promotion, see What we do.