Is your Hazard Record out of Control?

The Hazard Record, sometimes referred to as the Hazard Log, is arguably the most important document in demonstrating compliance with the CSM-RA Regulations, and in your project being safely integrated into the existing railway network.

As well as being one of the most important documents, it is also the most troublesome to get right, and can lead to unsupportive Safety Assessment Reports from the independent Assessment Body (AsBo). This will throw the chance of endorsement from System Review Panels into serious doubt.

The outputs from the hazard identification and analysis stages need to be captured and managed in the project Hazard Record. The Hazard Record is a formal record of the system safety hazards and their causes identified, based within the scope of the System Definition.

Some of the common problems we find with Hazard Records are as follows:

• Formatting can be quite sporadic,
• Revision history is often severely lacking in detail,
• Traceability, especially with regards to where and when each hazard was raised, is not always present,
• The Hazard Record can be cluttered with non-CSM related hazards,
• Poorly worded entries with descriptions that are easy to misinterpret.

This can all come about due to projects NOT:

• Understanding the importance of the Hazard Record,
• Assigning dedicated personnel to the role of Hazard Record Manager,
• Holding formal reviews of Hazard Record entries,
• Including appropriate evidence through each stage of the project lifecycle.

So, now that you have a better understanding of the importance of the Hazard Record, you may find it worth having a review of your project’s Hazard Record to make sure you don’t end up in an awkward and time consuming situation when it matters most.

At HSRS, we have facilitated the role of Hazard Record Manager for numerous complex and large scale railway infrastructure projects. If you need assistance with your Hazard Record, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

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