advert for rail safety commission - Chief Investigator

Donal Quinn · 27-07-2006, 12:16

chief Investigator

The Railway Safety Commission carries out the functions in relation to railway safety and is responsible for regulating railway safety in Ireland and has a wider statutory remit than the Railway Inspectorate (including responsibility for the Iarnrod Eireann Rail Network, LUAS and Heritage Railways). It also has wide-ranging powers of inspection, investigation and enforcement. In line with the requirements of the EU Railway Safety Directive the Railway Safety Commission incorporates a functionally independent Railway Incident Investigation Unit. The Railway Safety Commission also has responsibility for railway safety matters arising from EU Directives and legislation.

The principal functions of the Railway Safety Commission are to:

• assess the safety cases submitted by railway undertakings and issue safety certificates to those railways where the Commission is satisfied that the safety case demonstrates that a railway undertaking can, in so far reasonably practicable, ensure the safety of persons;

• carry out assessments of new works proposed by railway undertakings;

• carry out safety assessments of new rolling stock before allowing the commissioning and operation of that rolling stock;

• investigate railway accidents where the Commission deems it appropriate;

• audit the safety management system of individual railway undertakings where the Commission deems appropriate;

• prescribe standards, guidance, specifications, procedures etc to be used by railway undertakings, where this will advance railway safety;

• carry out inspections of railway infrastructure, operations and safety management systems and take enforcement proceedings where necessary.

Principal Duties of the Chief Investigator

The principal duties of the post may include, but may not be limited to:

Strategic Management and Planning
• Planning the annual work programme of the Investigation Unit and the resources required;
• Overseeing implementation of the work programme of the Investigation Unit and monitoring achievement of objectives;
• Setting the Investigation Unit’s overall policy and procedures in regard to investigation of railway incidents;
• Devising a contingency plan for the management of the site of a major railway incident and the ensuing investigation;

Human Resource Management and Development
• devising the investigation Unit’s element of the staff development and training programme of the Commission and monitoring its implementation;
• developing staff of the Investigation Unit;
• management of consultants and advisers retained by the Investigation Unit;

Incident Investigations and Tribunals of Inquiry
• acting as the lead investigator into a railway incident;
• overseeing the investigation of a railway incident by other staff of the Investigation
Unit, by consultants or by inspectors of the Commission temporarily assigned to you for the purposes of investigation of an incident;
• preparing the interim and final reports of an investigation;
• observing internal investigations by railway undertakings;
• chairing, or participating in the holding of a tribunal of inquiry, where directed by the Minister;
• acting as an assessor to assist a tribunal of inquiry, where directed by the Minister;

Coroner’s Inquests
• assisting a coroner in the holding of an inquest on the body of a person whose death may have been caused by a railway incident;
• reporting on a coroner’s inquest;

Representation and Advice
• representing the Commission or the State at working groups, committees, meetings, negotiations, conferences etc. at home and abroad;
• advising Ministers of the Government and officials on matters relating to railway incident investigation;

Contributing to work of the Commission
• providing input to the Annual Report and other reports of the Commission in respect of the functions of the Investigation Unit;
• performing other appropriate tasks to assist the smooth operation of the Commission.

Reporting to:
The Chief Investigator will have an independent role in the performance of incident investigations functions and will report to the Minister for Transport in respect of administrative issues.

Staff reporting to you:
All staff of the Investigation Unit of the Commission.
• Any Senior Inspectors or Inspectors temporarily assigned to you by the Commission for individual investigations.
• Consultants engaged by you in connection with an investigation.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Essential Requirements

Candidates must, on or before 14th September 2006

(a) have a proven record in the railway industry (in a senior position for at least five years),
preferably with accident investigation experience, and one or more of the following:

(i) a degree in an engineering or related discipline relevant to the railway industry or hold a qualification which would be acceptable to the Public Appointments Service as at least equivalent for the purpose of this competition;
(ii) a relevant academic qualification together with a proven record of continuous
professional development (CPD)
(iii) corporate membership of a relevant professional institution.

or have

(b) a proven record as an accident or forensic investigator, and

(i) an appropriate professional qualification as such together with a proven record of continuous professional development (CPD) or
(ii) corporate membership of a relevant professional institution.

In addition , you will have:

• a strong results focus and track record of previous achievements;
• the knowledge and experience required to lead the Investigation Unit;
• the ability to achieve esults as part of a team and to work effectively with others
• excellent communication and inter-personal skills;
• the ability to negotiate effectively and influence others.

--------------------------
they're offering 88-110,000 for it
ot bad

they're also looking for 'inspectors' who need just 3 years rail experience and get 56 - 70,000
i think you lot should go for that

Mark Gleeson · 27-07-2006, 17:05

So I do qualify, I have the engineerng degree, have membership professional body and a proven set of steps in professional development

I don't have 5 years experience

The RSC are having serious trouble getting people, they are not many out there

The big big problem is you must agree to relocate to Ballinasloe, its clear the RSC don't like this since they point out the HQ of the rail operators is Dublin, bulk of journeys are in Dublin, therefore you will be in Dublin if there is an accident or need to meet operators

And they do visit our site

Thomas J Stamp · 28-07-2006, 13:48

Go on Mark, send in the C.V.

Derek Wheeler · 29-07-2006, 21:27

I read "Broken Rails". Does that qualify me?

Mark Gleeson · 29-07-2006, 21:31

Need to have a copy of "I tried to run a railway"

If you can explain the Cherryville accident in under 30 seconds without mentioning a lack of diesel you probably are better equipped then most

Derek Wheeler · 29-07-2006, 21:50

"I tried to run a railway"...a class act.

As for lack of Diesel in Cheryville accident.....30 seconds without mentioning it, would be criminal. Someone should have done jail time for that.

Mark Gleeson · 29-07-2006, 21:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derek Wheeler

"I tried to run a railway"...a class act.

have copy, seems most IE managers don't

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derek Wheeler

As for lack of Diesel in Cheryville accident.....30 seconds without mentioning it, would be criminal. Someone should have done jail time for that.

Accident had nothing to do with diesel it had everything to do with flawed procedures which permitted conditions for a collision to occur, lack of diesel just generated a situation where the flaw was exposed, if the lead train had say hit a cow same thing would have happened

Derek Wheeler · 29-07-2006, 23:42

In all fairness Mark, Flawed proceedures came into play after the train ran out of fuel. The very fact that a loco had no fuel guage on an operating railway in 1983, carrying passengers, is endemic of bad engineering, bad practise and irresponsibilty on behalf of the operator. Regardless of the "rule book", if the loco had a fuel guage, the accident could have been avoided.The same kind of loco didn't even have head lights when it was delivered. CIE and its poor and naive engineering standards at a very basic level caused this accident. People died and nobody went to jail. Retrofitting of fuel guages happened afterwards.

Another factor in this accident was wooden bodied stock. CIE got many warnings in Buttevent and Clogh, Co. Wexford. The lack of investment lies at the door of Government. Therefore someone in Government should have done time. Overall, shortsighted investment in the 50s and lack of investment in the 60s and 70s, killed people on our railway. I don't care what anyone says, someone, somewhere should have done time for these accidents.

A modern day example is the Kentstown bus accident. Its being pushed all the way. But the question is will someone in BE do time for making a balls up of certain things or will the state take it out on the local garage that had responsibilty for servicing the buses?

The outcome of that case will bring much relevence to the carnage on our railway during a certain period./

Mark Gleeson · 30-07-2006, 14:07

The root cause of the Cherryville accident was the flawed rule 55g which allowed a train to pass a red signal without obtaining the permission of the controlling signalman when it was not possible to contact the signalman by telephone.

The lead train could have been stopped for any one of a huge list of reasons, it could have broken down, hit an obstruction, someone pulled the communication cord, derailed etc it made no difference to what then transpired

Notably the rule book did not require the driver to check the fuel gauge when conducting the partial preparation procedures

jayok · 04-08-2006, 17:09

Sorry to drag this up. I am considering applying for the Inspector job. I am originally from Dublin and have worked in the UK rail industry for the last 13 years.

Does anybody know if a new entrant will start at the bottom of the salary scale or somewhere reasonable for me to move my family to Dublin (as well as agreeing to move to Ballinasloe some time in the future)? The problem is their office in Blackrock, it is not very affordable to get a family home near their office (or even a reasonable rail commute). Definitely would not want to drive through the quagmire that is Dublin.

Mark Gleeson · 04-08-2006, 17:26

You are best off talking to the folks in the RSC about salary scales but €88-110,000 is serious enough money for the top job ave industrial wage is €30k ish. I know that they have had serious trouble filling the positions. The ads did the rounds in the UK rail press a while back. UK experience transfers well since the rule book and infrastructure rules are based on the Railtrack equivalents

Currently the RSC are based in Blackrock, Dublin about 5 minutes from the station which has direct trains from Maynooth, Drogheda and Gorey in the morning not to mention DART so you can infact live a fair bit out many working in the village do, you never know RSC staff might have free travel... but you will at least get tax relief on a rail ticket

I think this Ballinasole thing is a complete joke pointless but it is part of government policy (flawed totally IMO) I wouldn't blame anyone for not working for them as a result if you are going to have a rail safety body you plonk it at a major railway location

One thing is Irish accident reports are lame (http://www.platform11.org/resources/rail_safety.php) you don't get the concise style the UK can when they had ex army majors (assuming engineer corps) doing the investigations

BTW the RSC do read this site I have had dealings with them in recent times and found them to be efficient, precise and very tuned in with ongoing issues

jayok · 04-08-2006, 18:14

Thanks Mark, both jobs are advertised on railwaypeople.com in the UK.

I am in Dublin this weekend, I think I will see what property is like within a reasonable commute and put my application in. It is a good extensive application form that can seem daunting to fill in.

TomB · 04-08-2006, 22:18

jayok:
One thing you could possibly look into is moving to either Portarlington, Mullingar or Maynooth if prices in Dublin make your eyes water, that way you could actually live in the same place either side of the decentralisation move: currently you can get a train from Portarlington to Ballinasloe in the morning, leaving at 710 and arriving in Ballinasloe at 8:55. OK, that's a pretty hefty 1h45 commute, but it might give you a bit of breathing room after the decentralisation so you don't have to move straight away, and you would be closer to relatives in Dublin.
I reckon Mullingar and Maynooth would be between an hour and an hour-and-a-half's drive from Ballinasloe.
Just thinking that living on a train line might be handier because of the job.

Anyway, best of luck with your application. If you picked up any useful info at the interview stage it'd be great if you could pass it on, mail info@platform11.org if you don't want to post publicly!

27-07-2006, 12:16	#1
Donal Quinn Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 267	advert for rail safety commission - Chief Investigator chief Investigator The Railway Safety Commission carries out the functions in relation to railway safety and is responsible for regulating railway safety in Ireland and has a wider statutory remit than the Railway Inspectorate (including responsibility for the Iarnrod Eireann Rail Network, LUAS and Heritage Railways). It also has wide-ranging powers of inspection, investigation and enforcement. In line with the requirements of the EU Railway Safety Directive the Railway Safety Commission incorporates a functionally independent Railway Incident Investigation Unit. The Railway Safety Commission also has responsibility for railway safety matters arising from EU Directives and legislation. The principal functions of the Railway Safety Commission are to: • assess the safety cases submitted by railway undertakings and issue safety certificates to those railways where the Commission is satisfied that the safety case demonstrates that a railway undertaking can, in so far reasonably practicable, ensure the safety of persons; • carry out assessments of new works proposed by railway undertakings; • carry out safety assessments of new rolling stock before allowing the commissioning and operation of that rolling stock; • investigate railway accidents where the Commission deems it appropriate; • audit the safety management system of individual railway undertakings where the Commission deems appropriate; • prescribe standards, guidance, specifications, procedures etc to be used by railway undertakings, where this will advance railway safety; • carry out inspections of railway infrastructure, operations and safety management systems and take enforcement proceedings where necessary. Principal Duties of the Chief Investigator The principal duties of the post may include, but may not be limited to: Strategic Management and Planning • Planning the annual work programme of the Investigation Unit and the resources required; • Overseeing implementation of the work programme of the Investigation Unit and monitoring achievement of objectives; • Setting the Investigation Unit’s overall policy and procedures in regard to investigation of railway incidents; • Devising a contingency plan for the management of the site of a major railway incident and the ensuing investigation; Human Resource Management and Development • devising the investigation Unit’s element of the staff development and training programme of the Commission and monitoring its implementation; • developing staff of the Investigation Unit; • management of consultants and advisers retained by the Investigation Unit; Incident Investigations and Tribunals of Inquiry • acting as the lead investigator into a railway incident; • overseeing the investigation of a railway incident by other staff of the Investigation Unit, by consultants or by inspectors of the Commission temporarily assigned to you for the purposes of investigation of an incident; • preparing the interim and final reports of an investigation; • observing internal investigations by railway undertakings; • chairing, or participating in the holding of a tribunal of inquiry, where directed by the Minister; • acting as an assessor to assist a tribunal of inquiry, where directed by the Minister; Coroner’s Inquests • assisting a coroner in the holding of an inquest on the body of a person whose death may have been caused by a railway incident; • reporting on a coroner’s inquest; Representation and Advice • representing the Commission or the State at working groups, committees, meetings, negotiations, conferences etc. at home and abroad; • advising Ministers of the Government and officials on matters relating to railway incident investigation; Contributing to work of the Commission • providing input to the Annual Report and other reports of the Commission in respect of the functions of the Investigation Unit; • performing other appropriate tasks to assist the smooth operation of the Commission. Reporting to: The Chief Investigator will have an independent role in the performance of incident investigations functions and will report to the Minister for Transport in respect of administrative issues. Staff reporting to you: All staff of the Investigation Unit of the Commission. • Any Senior Inspectors or Inspectors temporarily assigned to you by the Commission for individual investigations. • Consultants engaged by you in connection with an investigation. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE: Essential Requirements Candidates must, on or before 14th September 2006 (a) have a proven record in the railway industry (in a senior position for at least five years), preferably with accident investigation experience, and one or more of the following: (i) a degree in an engineering or related discipline relevant to the railway industry or hold a qualification which would be acceptable to the Public Appointments Service as at least equivalent for the purpose of this competition; (ii) a relevant academic qualification together with a proven record of continuous professional development (CPD) (iii) corporate membership of a relevant professional institution. or have (b) a proven record as an accident or forensic investigator, and (i) an appropriate professional qualification as such together with a proven record of continuous professional development (CPD) or (ii) corporate membership of a relevant professional institution. In addition , you will have: • a strong results focus and track record of previous achievements; • the knowledge and experience required to lead the Investigation Unit; • the ability to achieve esults as part of a team and to work effectively with others • excellent communication and inter-personal skills; • the ability to negotiate effectively and influence others. -------------------------- they're offering 88-110,000 for it ot bad they're also looking for 'inspectors' who need just 3 years rail experience and get 56 - 70,000 i think you lot should go for that Last edited by Donal Quinn : 27-07-2006 at 12:19.

28-07-2006, 13:48	#3
Thomas J Stamp Chairman/Publicity Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: The Home of Hurling Posts: 2,708	Go on Mark, send in the C.V. __________________ We are the passengers

04-08-2006, 17:26	#11
Mark Gleeson Technical Officer Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Coach C, Seat 33 Posts: 12,669	You are best off talking to the folks in the RSC about salary scales but €88-110,000 is serious enough money for the top job ave industrial wage is €30k ish. I know that they have had serious trouble filling the positions. The ads did the rounds in the UK rail press a while back. UK experience transfers well since the rule book and infrastructure rules are based on the Railtrack equivalents Currently the RSC are based in Blackrock, Dublin about 5 minutes from the station which has direct trains from Maynooth, Drogheda and Gorey in the morning not to mention DART so you can infact live a fair bit out many working in the village do, you never know RSC staff might have free travel... but you will at least get tax relief on a rail ticket I think this Ballinasole thing is a complete joke pointless but it is part of government policy (flawed totally IMO) I wouldn't blame anyone for not working for them as a result if you are going to have a rail safety body you plonk it at a major railway location One thing is Irish accident reports are lame (http://www.platform11.org/resources/rail_safety.php) you don't get the concise style the UK can when they had ex army majors (assuming engineer corps) doing the investigations BTW the RSC do read this site I have had dealings with them in recent times and found them to be efficient, precise and very tuned in with ongoing issues Last edited by Mark Gleeson : 04-08-2006 at 17:39.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

27-07-2006, 17:05	#2
Mark Gleeson Technical Officer Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Coach C, Seat 33 Posts: 12,669	So I do qualify, I have the engineerng degree, have membership professional body and a proven set of steps in professional development I don't have 5 years experience The RSC are having serious trouble getting people, they are not many out there The big big problem is you must agree to relocate to Ballinasloe, its clear the RSC don't like this since they point out the HQ of the rail operators is Dublin, bulk of journeys are in Dublin, therefore you will be in Dublin if there is an accident or need to meet operators And they do visit our site

29-07-2006, 21:27	#4
Derek Wheeler Registered user Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Kildare Posts: 1,555	I read "Broken Rails". Does that qualify me?

29-07-2006, 21:31	#5
Mark Gleeson Technical Officer Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Coach C, Seat 33 Posts: 12,669	Need to have a copy of "I tried to run a railway" If you can explain the Cherryville accident in under 30 seconds without mentioning a lack of diesel you probably are better equipped then most

29-07-2006, 21:50	#6
Derek Wheeler Registered user Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Kildare Posts: 1,555	"I tried to run a railway"...a class act. As for lack of Diesel in Cheryville accident.....30 seconds without mentioning it, would be criminal. Someone should have done jail time for that.

29-07-2006, 23:42	#8
Derek Wheeler Registered user Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Kildare Posts: 1,555	In all fairness Mark, Flawed proceedures came into play after the train ran out of fuel. The very fact that a loco had no fuel guage on an operating railway in 1983, carrying passengers, is endemic of bad engineering, bad practise and irresponsibilty on behalf of the operator. Regardless of the "rule book", if the loco had a fuel guage, the accident could have been avoided.The same kind of loco didn't even have head lights when it was delivered. CIE and its poor and naive engineering standards at a very basic level caused this accident. People died and nobody went to jail. Retrofitting of fuel guages happened afterwards. Another factor in this accident was wooden bodied stock. CIE got many warnings in Buttevent and Clogh, Co. Wexford. The lack of investment lies at the door of Government. Therefore someone in Government should have done time. Overall, shortsighted investment in the 50s and lack of investment in the 60s and 70s, killed people on our railway. I don't care what anyone says, someone, somewhere should have done time for these accidents. A modern day example is the Kentstown bus accident. Its being pushed all the way. But the question is will someone in BE do time for making a balls up of certain things or will the state take it out on the local garage that had responsibilty for servicing the buses? The outcome of that case will bring much relevence to the carnage on our railway during a certain period./

30-07-2006, 14:07	#9
Mark Gleeson Technical Officer Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Coach C, Seat 33 Posts: 12,669	The root cause of the Cherryville accident was the flawed rule 55g which allowed a train to pass a red signal without obtaining the permission of the controlling signalman when it was not possible to contact the signalman by telephone. The lead train could have been stopped for any one of a huge list of reasons, it could have broken down, hit an obstruction, someone pulled the communication cord, derailed etc it made no difference to what then transpired Notably the rule book did not require the driver to check the fuel gauge when conducting the partial preparation procedures

04-08-2006, 17:09	#10
jayok New to the board Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 2	Sorry to drag this up. I am considering applying for the Inspector job. I am originally from Dublin and have worked in the UK rail industry for the last 13 years. Does anybody know if a new entrant will start at the bottom of the salary scale or somewhere reasonable for me to move my family to Dublin (as well as agreeing to move to Ballinasloe some time in the future)? The problem is their office in Blackrock, it is not very affordable to get a family home near their office (or even a reasonable rail commute). Definitely would not want to drive through the quagmire that is Dublin.

04-08-2006, 18:14	#12
jayok New to the board Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 2	Thanks Mark, both jobs are advertised on railwaypeople.com in the UK. I am in Dublin this weekend, I think I will see what property is like within a reasonable commute and put my application in. It is a good extensive application form that can seem daunting to fill in.

04-08-2006, 22:18	#13
TomB Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Limerick Posts: 207	jayok: One thing you could possibly look into is moving to either Portarlington, Mullingar or Maynooth if prices in Dublin make your eyes water, that way you could actually live in the same place either side of the decentralisation move: currently you can get a train from Portarlington to Ballinasloe in the morning, leaving at 710 and arriving in Ballinasloe at 8:55. OK, that's a pretty hefty 1h45 commute, but it might give you a bit of breathing room after the decentralisation so you don't have to move straight away, and you would be closer to relatives in Dublin. I reckon Mullingar and Maynooth would be between an hour and an hour-and-a-half's drive from Ballinasloe. Just thinking that living on a train line might be handier because of the job. Anyway, best of luck with your application. If you picked up any useful info at the interview stage it'd be great if you could pass it on, mail info@platform11.org if you don't want to post publicly!