Director Policy & Standards International Railway Safety Conference   Developing the competency of managers in the field of safety management   Aidan Nelson Director Policy & Standards International Railway Safety Conference October 2002

Competence…… The ability to undertake responsibilities and to perform activities to a recognised standard on a regular basis A product of practical and thinking skills, experience and knowledge, which is influenced by personal attributes such as attitudes, beliefs and values

Continuous improvement…… A person, a team of people or an organisation is competent when they work consistently to an expected level of performance. Expected levels of performance change over time Competence and a positive safety culture require aligned values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours

Senior management teams: why? Past focus on competence too narrow Assessment criteria underpinning Railway Safety Case Regulations (2000) Due diligence and organisational learning Evidence of repeating management and system failures Ladbroke Grove Inquiry: “Where it is not already in place, a safety management strategic leadership team should be established in each company in the industry” (part two, recommendation 14) Recommendation 14 – to be implemented by the rail industry within 6 months “Where it is not already in place, a safety management strategic leadership team should be established in each company in the industry. Such a team should be lead by the Chief Executive and include his or her direct reports, with support from the safety professionals. It should consider the strategic management process for safety by holding regular meetings devoted to health and safety issues. It should be the key group in the organisation for setting goals, monitoring performance and assessing and resourcing the needs of the organisation to ensure that the long-term objectives are met.”

Research suggests senior management teams Are technically competent but lack general management skills Constant change means they have little time for building on experience and preventing repeat mistakes Lack formal processes for risk assessment other than financial Increasingly need to be able to identify key data to make decisions / measure performance

“Strategic safety management” describes the way a senior team Directs how safety is managed within the business Sets goals for safety performance Sets aside the organisation’s resources to achieve these goals Controls safety performance

Aims Support improvement in the competence of senior teams to manage safety strategically Help senior teams deliver their Railway Safety Case commitments Assist the development of a progressive safety culture in individual organisations and the wider industry Support continuous improvement in safety performance at all levels in the rail industry

Philosophy Safety management is but one aspect of risk management Risk is inherent in business processes Safety performance can be continuously improved Cultural issues must not be swept under the carpet What are we not doing that we should be?

Good practice guides Advisory not mandatory, focus is maintaining and improving safety performance, not compliance Self-assessment processes not external audit Can be tailored to meet an organisation’s needs

What’s in the SSM good practice? A description of what all senior teams need to be able to do A recommended process for self-assessment and improvement Guidance and tools

SSM software Automates SSM self-assessment process and gives senior teams the ability to…. Assess their competence and performance from a number of perspectives Predict team performance given its current composition and structure Make a range of useful comparisons

Companies are now using the results to: Develop senior team & company performance Clarify the organisation’s strategic safety management priorities and identify how best to meet them Test if company safety plans are fit for purpose Decide what the team needs to do and how individual members can contribute Review how the team makes & acts on decisions Identify training & development needs of existing & prospective senior managers

Developments In-company ‘kick start’ briefings Mentoring programme: confidential and independently delivered Closer links with other leadership initiatives Challenging the “unwritten rules” of railway safety Assimilating results to enable 2nd edition software & 3rd edition of the good practice guides to be released in December 2002

With particular thanks to: Competence Assurance Solutions Heathrow Express Railtrack GWZ GNER Thameslink London Lines AMEC JacksonEve DRS South Central Trains First NW Anglia Railways Scotrail SW Trains Alstom Eurostar Carillion Thales

Want to know more? www.railwaysafety.org.uk