Emergency management
Section 72 of the Rail Safety Act 2010 requires accredited rail transport operators to have an emergency management plan for railway operations carried out by, or on its behalf.
About emergency management
Section 72 of the Rail Safety Act 2010 requires accredited rail transport operators to have an emergency management plan for railway operations carried out by, or on its behalf.Section 72 (2)(b) of the Act and Regulations 2011 r13 require an emergency management plan to be prepared in conjunction with emergency services.
In Western Australia the State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC) has powers to prepare emergency plans for various types of emergency that may involve agencies other than a rail operator, these are called WESTPLANS. For details visit the Fire and Emergency Services Authority website.
You will notice that WESTPLANS are in place with the Public Transport Authority for a PTA train crash and with WestNet Rail for rail freight emergencies.
Rail transport operators should consider the nature of their operations and emergencies that could arise in relation to the WESTPLANS on the FESA website, and if they need to create a WESTPLAN it should align with those already in place with other rail organisations. This is to ensure uniformity, take advantage of prior consultation and because all WESTPLANS are approved by the SEMC and regularly reviewed.
Note also that the Rail Safety Act 2010 Section 72(2)(e) and Regulation r15(2) require the rail transport operator to test its emergency management plan at intervals set out in the plan or after any significant changes are made to the plan.
For a guideline on preparing emergency management plans see the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board website.