Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Girl power @ ONRSR
Like the broader Australian rail industry, ONRSR has worked hard since its inception to provide career pathways for women into what were once male dominated roles.
So, it was something of a milestone moment when the national regulator deployed its first all-female, four-person inspection team into the field in Queensland earlier this month.
The team, led by Senior Rail Safety Officers, Kim Dale and Shona Leigh, included one of ONRSR’s new Trainee RSOs, Chloe Maher, and another recent recruit in Rail Safety Officer, Jess Murray.
The focus of the deployment was track worker safety during a large network shutdown near Maronbah in northern Queensland and involved a range of regulatory activities and an opportunity to get up close and investigate the inner workings of a tamping machine.
The percentage of females within the ONRSR workforce has steadily increased in recent years, peaking at 44.8% in the last financial year, and efforts to diversify and attract more women into the business of national rail regulation are continuing.