By Eveline de Klerk
WALVIS BAY – TransNamib Holdings will soon sign a cooperative agreement with the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) of South Africa to strengthen its approach on regulating safety in the country’s railway sector.
TransNamib Board Chairman Festus Lameck made the announcement during the launch of the rail carrier’s safety campaign on Tuesday at Walvis Bay.
He said the issue of self-regulating safety in the railway sector is a big challenge for the rail carrier due to the fact that TransNamib has been regulating itself for decades.
Lameck them emphasised that safety in the railway sector should be a shared responsibility especially at this stage where safety is a serious concern in the country.
“Conceptualizing an independent regulatory model based on the need to sustain improvement in safety performance should be vigorously advocated for by all partners including the Ministry of Works and Transport,” explained Lameck.
He then pointed out that working with the South African railway regulator could not have come at a better time as the self-regulatory body is rich in experience and advice to ensure safety on the railway becomes a norm.
“They have learned invaluable lessons throughout the years which can serve as tools for us to strengthen our approach in regulating safety in the railway sector,” he said.
He said the team already has been instrumental in sharing experience on how TransNamib can deal with safety matters effectively.
“The fact that RSR has come forward and is willing to formalize cooperation on safety measures with TransNamib gives us new hope and positive anticipation that the two organisations will do all to improve workplace and public railway safety,” he further stated.
Also speaking at the launch, the Chief Executive Officer of the RSR, Nkululeko Poya, said railways have an important role to play in terms of providing a safer, cleaner and more cost effective mode of transport.
Statistics indicate that rail travel is a safer mode of land transportation than road.
“This safety is of paramount importance to all individuals, families and organisations. Given the link between safety and costs, organisations today are acutely aware of the expenses incurred in unsafe working environments that result in hazardous conditions and defeat the purpose of any organization.
“Although organisations may differ in design and function, the underlying principle and requirements of ensuring operational and employee safety generally remain the same,” Poya said at the launch.
According to Poya the RSR was established in terms of the National Railway Safety Regulator Act of 2002 to establish a national regulatory framework for South Africa and to monitor and enforce compliance within the rail sector.
He said that although the primary legislative mandate of the RSR is to oversee and enforce safety performance by all railway operators in the country (South Africa), the operators are primarily responsible and accountable for ensuring safety of their operations.
“As a matter of fact the RSR promotes and ensures safety by issuing and managing safety permits, conducting inspections and audits and investigating railway occurrences. We also develop regulations and safety standards … as well as impose penalties,” he explained.
RSR cooperates with relevant state organs to improve safety performance and oversight functions by playing a leading role in aligning South Africa’s railway safety regime with that of other SADC countries.
The CEO of TransNamib, Saara Naanda, said although railway transportation is one of the safest modes of land transport it has been observed that the behavioural conduct of people is a significant contributor to railway related accidents.
“We pledge to strengthen our efforts of eliminating accidents along the railway and conduct our business in the safest possible environment. We will however only achieve this through the positive involvement and support of stakeholders that play an important role in the railway sector,” she said.
This year so far at least five employees of TransNamib were involved in railway accidents, of whom one died and one sustained serious injuries. Also earlier this year, a 15-year-old girl lost both her legs and one arm after being bumped by a train while crossing the railway at Walvis Bay. It is believed that the girl was busy on her cellular phone and did not hear the oncoming train.