RSSB launches free e-learning course to promote consistent safe decision-making in the rail industry

The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has launched a new free e-learning course, Taking Safe Decisions. Developed with support from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), the course offers practical guidance on legal duties to ensure safety, effective risk assessments, and implementing changes safely.

The ORR recently identified inconsistencies within the rail industry in how safety-related costs and benefits are assessed. While most dutyholders consider ‘reasonable practicability’ before implementing health and safety measures, decision-making processes vary across the sector.

RSSB’s course promotes a consistent approach, aiming to embed a deeper understanding of proactive safety practices throughout the industry, especially at senior leadership levels. It provides a robust framework for managing complex operational challenges and strategic decisions. By using real-world scenarios and best practice examples, the course helps participants identify weaknesses, challenge assumptions, and foster a culture where safety is linked to every strategic decision.

Ben Gilmartin, RSSB’s Principal System Safety Engineer, said:

“Duty holders have a legal responsibility to ensure health and safety ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’. In practice, this means they must make sound decisions around safety-related costs and benefits.

“Our new free e-learning course, ‘Taking Safe Decisions’, aims to assist the rail industry in adopting a more consistent approach to evaluating reasonable practicability in health and safety management.

“The course represents a significant step forward in the ongoing pursuit of excellence in railway safety and operational resilience. By committing to this training, the rail industry can ensure a safer, more resilient railway for all.”

Richard Hines, HM Chief Inspector of Railways, said:

“We really welcome this new e-learning tool to improve awareness and to also bring it to the attention of people on the front line, who are making health and safety-related decisions.

“The Office of Rail and Road recently conducted work looking at the cost and benefits of health and safety interventions, and looked at how companies assess reasonable practicability.

“Many businesses rely on following good practice in making their decisions, but they also use more technical processes sometimes, involving cost benefit analysis and other tools, where the health and safety challenge may be novel or unique or particularly challenging. As part of this work, we found that there was greater room for consistency in how people approach making health and safety decisions.

“RSSB’s new e-learning tool provides just that information, and I hope industry colleagues find it helpful.”