ONRSR guidelines provide key information and clarification to both the rail industry and public on legislative, regulatory and technical matters associated with safe railway operations.



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Asset management Guideline
Oct 1, 2024

The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (the ONRSR) has prepared this guideline to promote the ongoing safety of rail infrastructure and rolling stock assets.

Drug and Alcohol Post Incident Testing Industry Poster
May 16, 2022

This poster provides a summary of ONRSR post incident testing processes and guidance for Rail Transport Operators and will be particularly relevant to Rail Transport Operators personnel who report notifiable occurrences and personnel involved in arranging post incident testing.

Fatigue Risk Management Guideline
Jul 1, 2022

This guideline has been developed to provide practical guidance to rail transport operators on how to manage the fatigue-related risks associated with rail safety work and meet the requirements of the Rail Safety National Law 2012 (RSNL).

Identifying Rail Safety Work under the RSNL Guideline
Oct 1, 2024

This rail safety worker guideline provides guidance on the term rail safety work, and outlines how RTOs can identify rail safety workers as part of their risk management processes.

Interface Agreement for Rail or Road Crossings - Template
Oct 1, 2024

Interface Agreement template for rail or road crossings.

Investigation Reports by rail transport operators Guideline
Oct 1, 2024

Outlines ONRSR’s expectations of investigation reports prepared by, or for, Australian rail operators into a rail occurrence.

Major Projects Guideline (inc Effective Control & Management of Major Projects)
Sep 23, 2020

This guideline has been produced as part of ONRSR’s obligation to promote safety improvement in the Australian railway industry.

Meaning of Duty to Ensure Safety SFAIRP Guideline
May 25, 2021

Guideline regarding the interpretation and application of the term ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’ in considering the standard that a duty holder is expected to meet under the RSNL and National Regulations.

Notifiable Occurrence Reporting Requirements
Oct 18, 2022

This document sets out the requirements for the reporting of notifiable occurrences, as required by s121 of the Rail Safety National Law (RSNL).

Occurrence Data Submission Requirements Guideline
Oct 18, 2022

This guideline is designed to help rail transport operators provide ONRSR with the data required when reporting notifiable occurrences.

ONRSR Business Glossary
Jul 31, 2024

This glossary provides definitions for terms used in the requirements documentation for reporting notifiable occurrences, monthly activity and network and operational (ontology) information

Rail Locomotive Boilers Guideline
Oct 1, 2024

Provides rail transport operators with guidance on ONRSR’s expectations for demonstrating the safety of rail locomotive boilers. It also includes some guidance on the operation of reciprocating steam engines.

Rail resource management Guideline
Aug 8, 2018

Guidelines designed to provide information to Accredited Rail Organisations (AROs) on the process for implementing and supporting Rail Resource Management training.

Road Rail Vehicle Management and Operations Guideline
Aug 11, 2023

The purpose of this guideline is to assist Rail Transport operators (RTOs) in understanding ONRSR’s expectations for the safe operation of Road Rail Vehicles (RRVs, also known as Hi Rail or High Rail Vehicles) as part of an effective safety management system (SMS), consistent with the requirements of the Rail Safety National Law (RSNL).

Safety Management System Guideline
Jul 1, 2022

Guideline to provide accredited rail transport operators,and those seeking accreditation, with guidance on the legislative requirements for safety management and what the National Rail Safety Regulator (NRSR) looks for when assessing the safety management system, and how to prepare a safety management system that complies with the legislative requirements.

Safety Performance Reporting Including example SPR
Jul 31, 2024

ONRSR has prepared this guideline to provide guidance on what information should be contained in the SPR and the reporting timeframes - and includes an example SPR that illustrates the type of information that should be contained in the SPR.

The ONRSR Way
Jul 1, 2020

The ONRSR Way offers regulated parties and rail safety stakeholders clarity around how ONRSR regulates rail safety across Australia.

Using the Interface Agreement for Rail or Road Crossings Template - Guideline
Oct 1, 2024

Provides guidance to rail infrastructure managers and road managers in meeting their obligations to enter into interface agreements for rail or road crossings on public and private roads under Part 3, Division 6 of the Rail Safety National Law (RSNL).

Last updated: Aug 21, 2021, 11:31:43 AM