Rail Resource Management (RRM) ~ Applied Human Factors training for the rail industry

Addressing human error in rail

It is well recognised that human error plays a significant role in incidents and accidents. Successful error management is based upon human factors knowledge and is much more than simply trying to prevent all errors. Human errors are inevitable – they are a normal characteristic of human behaviour, however, they are manageable. Error management is designed to:

• Avoid error;
• Respond to error before it gets out of control; and
• Minimise the consequences of the error.

It is important that error management is applied at different levels of an organisation in order to be effective. This includes the individual & team level, the systems level including design, procedures, etc. and the organisational level including reporting systems, incident analysis, risk management, etc.

RRM - Error management at the individual and team level

This type of applied human factors training has been responsible for a successful reduction in errors and their consequences in industries such as aviation.

Investigations of accidents and serious incidents have shown that many safety occurrences in the transport industry could have been prevented by people making better use of resources available to them, such as team members, other people they are interacting with, equipment, information and procedures. Effective “resource management” not only helps to reduce human error but enables operators to deal with those errors that have occurred so that they can be contained and their consequences mitigated.

The RRM project

ITSRR jointly with Public Transport Safety Victoria (PTSV) is working with industry including the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) on a national project to develop a program for “Rail Resource Management training” for rail safety workers. The project is endorsed by the Rail Safety Regulators Panel (RSRP) to provide support and guidance for the industry, with no mandatory requirements.

The project is aimed at providing access to best practice in this type of applied human factors training for rail safety workers across Australia. It includes a best practice review, comprehensive guidelines and generic training materials.

A steering committee of experts and industry and regulator representatives is overseeing the project.

Project update

The Guidelines for RRM have been published in hard copy along with a CD of training materials as a resource for accredited rail operators and/or organisations who conduct rail safety work in Australia and New Zealand.

Official launches of the Guidelines were held in Sydney and Melbourne in November/December 2007.

View presentations from the Sydney launch:

• Mick Quinn (RRM Project Steering Committee Chair) - 1,310kb PDF
• Steve Pelecanos (Chairman of Brisbane Marine Pilots) - 2,670kb PDF

Industry briefings on the RRM project will be held in 2008.

Project deliverables and resources

• Information Bulletin - 169kb PDF
• Interim Report, A Review of Best Practice - 401kb PDF
• Guidelines for RRM - 4780kb PDF

More information

For more information on the project contact barbara.klampfer@transportregulator.nsw.gov.au