Compliance, audits and reporting

The annual Rail Safety Compliance Audit was conducted by the Office of Rail Safety (ORS) in November 2010, and the report issued in January. The audit identified three non-compliances and eight observations. All issues identified during the audit were closed out in June 2011.

Throughout 2010-11, health and safety representatives in each operating division continued to conduct regular workplace inspections, in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act (1984).

A comprehensive quarterly health, safety and environment (HSE) performance report is provided to the PTA’s Executive HSE Management Committee. The committee meets to discuss the report and to identify potential strategies for continuous safety improvement.

The PTA also prepares an annual rail safety performance report which is submitted to the ORS as part of rail accreditation requirements.

Notifiable occurrences

Under the Rail Safety Act (2010), certain railway safety incidents must be reported to the ORS. These “Notifiable Occurrences” are defined in the Rail Safety Regulations (2011) as Category A (serious injury, death, or significant damage) or Category B (incidents that may have the potential to cause a serious accident). They do not cover non-rail operations.

The benchmark targets for Category A and Category B incidents are calculated using estimates of passenger boardings and train kilometres travelled.

There were 11 Category A incidents in 2010-11, down from 13 in 2009-10.

Excluding incidents beyond the PTA’s control (such as those considered to be suicides or attempted suicides), it is encouraging that there was a significant drop, from six in 2009-10 to three, and no adverse trends were identified in these three.

In March 2011, the PTA, in conjunction with the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist (Department of Health), examined the characteristics and patterns of suicide events on the rail system with a view to developing effective intervention-prevention measures.

In another commitment to improving rail safety, the PTA engaged Curtin-Monash Accident Research Centre in May to conduct a study on non-compliance at PTA pedestrian level crossing gates. The report will detail what factors are associated with non-compliant pedestrian behaviour at level crossings, potential counter-measures, and recommendations for improvements.

There was a significant reduction in Category B incidents, which fell 16 per cent from 2009-10’s 464, to 392. This is attributed to a number of proactive safety/risk strategies, particularly the continued application of the ALARP (as low as reasonably practicable) principle for identifying corrective actions. The PTA’s objective is to have a further 10 per cent reduction target for Category Bs in 2011-2012.

Health and safety

The strong focus on safety as a core value of the organisation continued. Representatives of safety teams from across the PTA attended the annual strategic safety planning day and identified the key focus areas which formed the health, safety and environment (HSE) strategic directions for the year. This document is updated annually and endorsed by the Executive HSE Management Committee to ensure a continued focus on strategic safety management.

Integrated HSE Management System

The PTA’s integrated HSE Management System is based on a risk management approach and combines the common elements of occupational and operational (rail) safety, as well as environmental management. Each discipline is mapped to relevant Australian Standards (OSH - AS4801; Rail - AS4292; Environment - AS/NZS ISO 14001) on an integrated compliance matrix, enabling the PTA to separate the three areas for discipline-specific audits and reviews. The HSE Management System is regularly monitored and reviewed to ensure that all aspects are working effectively to identify areas for continuous improvement.

Rail safety accreditation

A number of workshops were held to ensure our personnel stay focussed on rail safety management changes.

• Human factors workshops recognise the inevitability of human error and encourage honest reporting, while establishing clear accountability for remedial actions.
• A driver workload/fatigue study is being carried out by the Centre for Sleep Research at the University of South Australia to assess potential workload and fatigue management issues among railcar drivers. A number of workshops have been held to communicate information regarding this study.

Workshops were also held with ORS officers to develop a Memorandum of Understanding on reporting Notifiable Occurrences.

• Two Fatigue Master Classes were held under the guidance of Professor Drew Dawson, an acknowledged fatigue expert, to help the PTA’s operational divisions reinforce the shift/roster organisational arrangements, to reduce the risk of fatigue.

Reporting systems

The PTA HSE reporting system (STAR) enables efficient capture and management of reported hazards, near-misses and incidents, and better analysis of data - the PTA aims to identify information or trends which may indicate where corrective action (or other improvements) is required. The PTA also monitors investigation outcomes to ensure we learn from incidents or near misses.

The rail safety reporting system captures incidents and notifiable occurrences, specifically related to rail safety. It is the conduit for reporting to the rail safety regulator. This system is updated as needed - such as to meet changes in the national reporting requirements defined in ONS-1(WA) 2008.

Injury management

Injury management and prevention remains a focus. In the latest year, the PTA exceeded the target 10 per cent reduction in the LTI (lost time injury) incidence rate (excluding security services) with a 15.9 per cent drop. It was encouraging that, even including security services staff, there was a 4.3 per cent reduction.

Transit officers have the highest workgroup incidence of LTIs - a result of their role in addressing anti-social behaviour on the rail network. A project to analyse this trend and identify recommendations for improvement was undertaken, and recommendations submitted to the Executive HSE Committee in early 2009-10. Improvement strategies are being implemented through an ongoing program.

Employees who are injured are supported by the PTA’s Injury Management team in accordance with the Workers’ Compensation and Injury Management Act (1981). The PTA’s injury management system works on the principle of early intervention/rehabilitation and includes return to work programs developed in accordance with the Act.

Health assessment standards

On July 1, 2004, the National Transport Commission (NTC) introduced the national standard for health assessment of rail safety workers. This applies to all rail safety workers as defined in the Rail Safety Act (1998) and relates to health assessments and procedures to monitor the health and fitness of workers who perform rail safety duties. Regular monitoring is undertaken across the organisation to ensure the assessments remain current.

Actions introduced after the 2007-08 national standard post-implementation review are still being monitored to ensure continuous improvement and efficiency of the health management program.

During the year, the PTA was involved in the NTC national consultation process for updating rail and road health assessment standards and will continue to monitor the outcomes of this review and their impact on the PTA.

Testing for drugs and alcohol

Random and post-incident testing of employees and contractors continued as part of the PTA’s drug and alcohol management program. No illicit positives were recorded among post-operational incident tests.

Of the 478 random tests, three illicit positives were recorded - two involving PTA employees; the other a contractor. All three incidents involved cannabinoids.

Sustainability

The PTA continues to work with relevant external parties to identify opportunities to maximise sustainability during the development and planning of transport services. In the latest year this included:

• Transit Oriented Developments (TODs).
• Integration of infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Protection and restoration of local air, water, soils, flora and fauna.
• Services to improve accessibility for people with disabilities.

During the year we:

• Continued to implement the PTA water efficiency management plan.
• Continued to implement the recommendations of the 2006 energy and water audits of the Public Transport Centre.
• Undertook energy audits of Cockburn Central Station and the Kewdale and Claisebrook depots.
• Continued using recycled water and reverse osmosis to wash railcars.
• Continued implementation of the Energy Efficiency Opportunities Program including the completion of the energy assessment of Transperth buses.
• Reviewed and updated the online greenhouse gas savings calculator, which uses travel information (including the car size and distance travelled) to calculate a passenger’s greenhouse gas savings.
• Continued implementation of the environmental induction program for PTA staff.
• Submitted our Greenhouse and Energy Report to the Department of Climate Change.

Disability Access and Inclusion Plan (DAIP)

The PTA continued to improve access to public transport for people with disabilities, working through the 2007-2012 DAIP, which was released in July 2007. Achievements included:

• Continued implementation of a 12-year program to progressively replace the existing fleet with new, low-floor, accessible CNG buses.
• Progressively increasing the number of accessible bus services.
• Continued recognition of companion cards to allow a companion to travel with a person with a permanent disability at no additional cost.
• Continued administration of the Bus Shelters Grant Scheme, which provides dollar-for-dollar funding to local councils and schools for the construction of accessible shelters at selected bus stops.
• Continued administration of the Accessible Pathways Grant Scheme, which provides dollar-for-dollar funding to local councils for the construction of accessible pathways at selected bus stops.
• Developing and managing an accessibility group via TravelEasy as a mechanism to disseminate disability-specific updates to relevant organisations.
• Completing the planning and design phase for the upgrade of Meltham and Queens Park stations, with work expected to start early in 2011-12.
• Establishing a cross-referencing process to allow a PTA infringement notice to be revoked if it has been issued to a customer who is a Transperth Unrestricted Travel Pass holder, but was not carrying the pass.
• Upgrading approximately 50 bus stops to meet the requirements of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport under the Government’s Bus Stop Accessibility Works Program, launched in January 2010, which funds the upgrade of up to 600 stops a year.
• Issuing Accessibility Bulletins to customers registered with the Transperth Accessibility Group to advise of system changes, upgrades and other Transperth news relating to accessibility issues
• Delivering 37 in-class presentations and station tour experiences through the school-based Get On Board program for Education Support students. The program continues to work with disability organisations to deliver information and training at both the staff and client level. Train-the-trainer sessions have been delivered to organisations including Intework and Activ to provide the skills and knowledge necessary to take clients on the Transperth network and teach them how to become safe and confident travellers.
• Posting new station information on the Transperth website. This includes detailed maps of all bus/train interchanges and train stations highlighting accessible pathways into and around each facility. Each map includes a summary of such key features as ACROD parking bays, ticket machines and toilets (including disabled toilets).

Risk management

The PTA has a comprehensive risk management strategy to manage strategic and operational risks. All matters on the PTA’s Risk Register are reviewed annually to ensure that identified corrective actions are reviewed and monitored regularly. Regular audits ensure compliance with the Risk Management framework.

Recordkeeping

The PTA continued to improve business record-keeping processes and procedures in 2010-11. A Document Management System (DMS) package was progressively implemented in 2010 and 2011 and is now operational in all divisions. System management procedures and business rules, a training program and ongoing support processes are well established.

The PTA’s record-keeping efficiency has been improved with the revision of our business classification scheme. The functional retention and disposal schedule has also been revised and is awaiting endorsement by the State Records Advisory Committee.

Records management functions continue to be improved as a result of internal auditing, quality assurance monitoring and record-keeping best practice. The online Record-keeping Awareness course reflects current operational and administrative practices and processes.

To improve the management of records created for major infrastructure projects, the DMS has been integrated with an online project management system accessible to all project stakeholders, with daily downloads to the DMS. Process improvements are also under way with the implementation of a workflow for tender and contract management.

Record-keeping legislative compliance continues - the PTA is now well on the way towards compliance with the State Records Act 2000 and the policies, procedures and guidelines of the State Records Commission.

Pricing policy

Government continued to maintain public transport fares at an affordable level by restricting the increase in standard fares to the rate of change in CPI. In accordance with government policy, concession fares were set at 40 per cent of standard fares and the student fares were unchanged.

Transwa fares are established by the Government to ensure affordability for regional West Australians. For the 2010-11 financial year, Transwa had no fare increase.

Transperth fare information is provided at www.transperth.wa.gov.au.

Transwa fare information is provided at www.transwa.wa.gov.au.