The Rail Industry Worker program went live in March 2013 and has been endorsed by a number of major rail operators
across the country. The program is owned and endorsed by the Australasian Railway Association (ARA), of which
Queensland Rail is a member, to provide a single national competency management system for everyone working in the
rail industry. It meets regulatory requirements and complies with national rail safety laws.
By law, everyone working on the Australian rail network must be able to provide proof of competency. This is the
best way to reduce the risk of untrained people working on the rail network. The aim of competency management
is
to minimise the risk of untrained personnel carrying out any work on the Australian rail network.
If you intend to undertake rail safety work for Queensland Rail or the work you are contracted to perform (which may
not be rail safety work) on behalf of Queensland Rail falls within the rail corridor, you will need to apply for a
RIW card.
The following contractors must carry Rail Industry Worker identification when working for Queensland Rail and
present this (on request) to a Rail Safety Officer/Regulator from the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator
or
a Queensland Rail representative:
- All contractors undertaking rail safety work, as defined under section 8 of the Rail Safety National Law (Note:
there are no exceptions)
- Contractors performing work for Queensland Rail in the rail corridor
Exclusions:
Those excluded from carrying Rail Industry Worker identification are:
Contractors who are:
- Working on station buildings with limited to no exposure to the danger zone
- Deliveries to the rail corridor outside the danger zone
- One-off entry to the rail corridor where contractors have completed a Rail Corridor Induction Checklist are
operating under a PO and where it is not reasonably practical to expect the contractor to obtain a RIW card due
to
the short-term nature of their work in the rail corridor.
- External third parties (non-rail related) not contracted by Queensland Rail, such as telecommunications workers
There are no exceptions for rail safety workers.
Background
Rail Safety National Law requires rail safety workers to ensure:
- They are competent to carry out rail safety work
- They are assessed for competence
- They undertake a medical assessment
- Records of competence/qualifications are maintained
- Each rail safety worker carries identification that enables their competency and training to be checked.
Rail safety workers are people who:
Please refer to Rail Safety National Law (Section 8 "Meaning of Rail Safety Work").
Direct all inquiries to: railsafetyworker@qr.com.au
Ordering Rail Industry Worker Cards
https://www.riw.net.au/
Contractor bulletins
- [NEW] Changes to Signalling and Operational Systems Competency Requirements 1v1.pdf, 103.28 KB
- Changes to Signalling and Operational Systems Competency Requirements (PDF, 69.45 KB)
- ISN-Temporary Traction Bonding Requirements For Cutting Rails In Electrified Areas-Queensland Rail-23-03-2023
(PDF, 419.28 KB)
- Removal of QR Plant Roles to Align to National Plant Matrix Final March 2023 (PDF, 115.06 KB)
- Endorsed Engineering Organisation (EEO) - Bulletin (PDF, 316.06 KB, opens in new window)
- QNRP V7 Implementation - Protection Officer (PO) Mandatory Mentoring and Monitoring (PDF, 187.37 KB, opens in new window)
- Network Lockout fact sheet (PDF, 171.42 KB, opens in new window)
- ISN Applying the hierarchy of controls when working near OLE (PDF, 402.42 KB, opens in new window)
- ISN Working in 25 kV electrified areas (PDF, 600.33 KB, opens in new window)
- Protection Officers fact sheet (PDF, 196.3 KB |
DOC, 213.92 KB)
- Rail Industry Worker Program - Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 161.46 KB, opens in new window |
DOC, 137.1 KB, opens in new window)
- Engineering Registration in Queensland (PDF
, 58.95 KB |
DOC
, 120.36 KB)
- Types of electrical licenses in Queensland (PDF, 140.2 KB |
DOC, 364.3 KB)
- ISN Look up for powerlines (PDF, 221.04 KB)
Key documents
- Signalling and Operational Systems Competence Management MD-15-105.pdf, 718.75 KB
- Protection Officer Training Information Pack V1.0 (PDF, 2.08 MB, opens in new window)
- Trackside Safety Course Curriculum V3.4 (PDF, 2.82 MB)
- Business Rules for Rail Industry Workers (PDF, 888.59 KB)
- Fatigue Risk management for contractors (PDF, 229.79 KB | DOC, 223.85 KB)
- RIW Program FAQs (PDF, 161.46 KB, opens in new window)
- Queensland Rail PO Mentor Supervisor Declaration Form (PDF, 57.01 KB)
- Protection Officer Training and Perpetual Accreditation Specification - MD-11-309.pdf
- Civil - External Engineering Competence Management - MD-21-160 (PDF, 914.94 KB)
-
Civil – Approved
External Engineering Organisations
-
Health assessments for Rail
Safety Workers
- Fitness for work (PDF, 93.56 KB | DOC, 216.21 KB)
Competence matrices
Please note: Due to the
organisational-specific nature of the Queensland Rail Trackside Safety courses, which also align
with
national units of competencies, Queensland Rail will only accept enterprise-specific courses
delivered by
our licensed training providers and as outlined in the Trackside Safety Matrix. Units of competence
issued by other RTO's will be recognised, however there is still a requirement for contractors
to
attend the enterprise-specific course/s delivered by the licensed training providers. These
providers
will issue a 'Certificate of Attendance upon successful completion which contractors will need
to
upload to enable full role registration within the
RIW System.
- Design Management and Contract Management (XLS, 36.83 KB)
- E-Learning (XLS, 31.67 KB, opens in new window)
- Electric Facilities (XLS, 44.27 KB)
- Electric Traction (XLS, 47.55 KB)
- Engineering Services (XLS, 33.68 KB)
- Plant (XLS, 163.85 KB)
- Rollingstock Maintenance (XLS, 40.69 KB)
- Trackside Safety (XLS, 51.8 KB)
- Signalling (XLS), 74.91 KB
- Telecommunications (XLS, 45.6 KB)
- Track and Civil (XLS
, 50.67 KB)
Competency management forms
Training
For all of your trackside safety training requirements please contact one of our licensed training providers
below.
E-Learning
- E-Learning training can only be accessed online, via the RIW system, and is not classroom based.
- Contractors cannot access E-Learning training independently.
- RIW system employer Administrators will need to assign E-Learning modules to relevant contractors
(Please click on the link to access the guide: E-Learning)