199811 – Baird – Victorian Railway Signalling Competency Management System

Competency management systems are not new: most rail organisations have systems in place for ensuring only competent staff carry out design, installation, testing, commissioning & maintenance functions.

These include:
– Minimum qualifications;
– Direct supervision and mentoring including workplace assessment;
– Inservice training; Detailed procedures and instructions;
– Investigations of incidents and follow up rectification;
– Independent checking procedures.

Recently there has been pressure to document and formalise competency systems as a result of the following external requirements:
– Government legislation / regulation;
– Outsourcing (contractual requirement to set common standards);
– Quality and safety management systems adopted by rail organisations.

Most of these require the organisation involved in rail safety functions to demonstrate a competency system is in place and is followed without being specific about the detail. The Public Transport Corporation of Victoria’s (PTC) response to implementing a formal competency system for signalling staff has been problematic to date. This paper considers the past efforts and the path the PTC (and successor organisations) now plan to follow.