What are rail safety occurrences?

A rail safety occurrence is any accident or incident that involves a train or rolling stock (or other event on railway premises), whether in motion or not, that affects the safety of persons, property or railway operations.

It includes:

• collision, derailment, fire, explosion, act of God, or other events
• slips, trips and falls on trains or railway infrastructure.
  

It doesn’t include:

• occurrences in repair shops, not involving a train in motion
• occurrences in railway offices that don’t directly affect the safe operation or movement of trains.
  Occurrences are categorised by their severity — major or general.

A major occurrence is an unplanned, uncontrolled event that has either:

• resulted in, or is likely to result in, a fatality or serious injury or significant property damage
• under different circumstances, could have led to fatality or serious injury or significant property damage.

Major occurrences can be classified as one or more of the following types:

• an accident or incident that has caused significant property damage, serious injury or death
• a derailment on a railway line that is mainly used for the through-movement of trains
• a collision between rolling stock on a railway line that is mainly used for the through-movement of trains
• a collision at a railway crossing between rolling stock and a road vehicle or a person
• a fire or explosion on, or in, rail infrastructure or rolling stock that either:
• affects railway operations from being safely carried out
• has endangered a person, or people
• a terrorist attack or an act or event suspected to be a terrorist attack
• an accident or incident involving inadequate management of railway operation safety that could have caused significant property damage, serious injury or death
• another accident or incident that is likely to generate intense public interest or concern.

A general occurrence is:

• an unplanned, uncontrolled event that results in, or is likely to result in, harm to people, damage to property, loss to process, or an adverse impact to the environment
• an undesired, unplanned, uncontrolled event which under different circumstances could lead to an accident