A spring in our standards
It’s that time again—get the headlines on this quarter’s standards update.
This quarter’s standards release saw multiple new standards, amends to standards, changes to the Rule Book, and seven non-RSSB standards published among other crucial updates. If you missed the webinar, here are the headlines on two new standards from infrastructure and operations.
RIS-3789-TOM is the unified standard for medical fitness assessments on the UK's mainline railway. By consolidating and updating information from three previous standards, it provides a clearer, more consistent approach to managing and monitoring health-related work fitness.
How does it help?As well as addressing the legal obligation of ensuring safety-critical staff are medically fit, the standard offers some key benefits. It provides clear medical fitness requirements, aligned with legislation and regulatory guidance, enhancing industry consistency. It also offers practical guidance to minimise service delays and staff unavailability caused by medical issues. Furthermore, it enables operators to demonstrate due diligence, mitigating legal risks such as potential violations of the Equality Act 2010. By standardising practices, the document helps avoid costly legal penalties and is projected to deliver over £17.8 million in savings to the industry over five years. This standard is vital for transport operators and occupational health professionals involved in safety-critical roles.
For complete details on the new medical fitness assessment standards, visit the RIS-3789-TOM Iss 1 page.
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Missed the Medical Fitness Assessment webinar?
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RIS-7708-INS, the second new standard of the update, looks at how we maintain the visibility of railway signals and operational signs, crucial for safe train operation. It replaces a previous iteration, providing clearer, more comprehensive guidance to prevent obscured signals—a key factor in safety incidents like SPADs.
How does it help?The standard enhances safety by mandating the reporting and remediation of sighting deficiencies, particularly those caused by vegetation and vandalism. It also addresses visibility changes due to infrastructure modifications. Better than before, it now includes rationales behind each requirement, and detailed guidance. It highlights broader operational risks associated with corrective actions, advocating for risk-mitigation measures, including recording and monitoring.
Ultimately, RIS-7708-INS aims to improve overall signal visibility, contributing to safer and more efficient train operations. This enhanced clarity and proactive approach are estimated to deliver approximately £267,640 in benefits to the railway industry over five years, benefitting project entities, infrastructure managers, and railway undertakings.
Access the updated standard for maintaining signal visibility.
Download the March 2025 standards briefing ❯
Watch the March 2025 Standards webinar ❯
Or, for a short summary, go to the Latest Updates to Standards ❯