Rail Industry Worker program

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 u​ntrained 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

• ISN-Temporary Traction Bonding Requirements For Cutting Rails In Electrified Areas-Queensland Rail-23-03-2023 (PDF, 420KB)
  
• Removal of QR Plant Roles to Align to National Plant Matrix Final March 2023 (PDF, 126KB)
  
• Endorsed Engineering Organisation (EEO) - Bulletin (PDF, 317KB)
  
• QNRP V7 Implementation - Protection Officer (PO) Mandatory Mentoring and Monitoring (PDF, 188KB)
  
• Network Lockout fact sheet (PDF, 172KB)
  
• ISN Applying the hierarchy of controls when working near OLE (PDF, 403KB)
  
• ISN Working in 25 kV electrified areas (PDF, 601KB)
  
• Protection Officers fact sheet (PDF, 197KB  | DOC, 214KB)
  
• Rail Industry Worker Program - Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 162KB | DOC, 138KB)
  
• Engineering Registration in Queensland (PDF, 59KB  | DOC, 121KB)
• Types of electrical licenses in Queensland (PDF, 141KB  | DOC, 141KB)
  
• ISN Look up for powerlines (PDF, 222KB)
  

Key documents

• Protection Officer Training Information Pack V1.0 (PDF, 2134KB)
  
• Trackside Safety Course Curriculum V3.4 (PDF, 2891KB)
  
• Business Rules for Rail Industry Workers (PDF, 889KB)
  
• Fatigue Risk management for contractors (PDF, 230KB | DOC, 224KB)
  
• RIW Program FAQs (PDF, 162KB)
  
• Queensland Rail PO Mentor Supervisor Declaration Form (PDF, 58KB)
  
• Protection Officer Training and Perpetual Accreditation Specification - MD-11-309 (PDF, 1069KB)
  
• Civil - External Engineering Competence Management - MD-21-160 (PDF, 915KB)
  
• Civil – Approved External Engineering Organisations​
  
• Health assessments for Rail Safety Workers
  
• Fitness for work (PDF, 94KB | DOC, 123KB)
  

Competence matrices

• Design Management and Contract Management (XLS, 37KB)
  
• E-Learning (XLS, 32KB)
  
• Electric Facilities (XLS, 45KB)
  
• Electric Traction (XLS, 48KB)
  
• Engineering Services (XLS, 34KB)
  
• Plant (XLS, 164KB)​
  
• Rollingstock Maintenance (XLS, 41KB)
  
• Trackside Safety (XLS, 52KB)
  
• Signalling (XLS​, 6​​​​0​​​​K​​B)​
  
• Telecommunications (XLS, 46KB)
  
• Track and Civil (XLS, 51KB)
  
  

Competency management forms

• Protection Officer Mentoring Logbook - MD-14-566 (PDF, 889KB)
  

• Protection Officer Monitoring Checklist - MD-14-120 (PDF, 896KB)​​
  

• Recipient Checklist - MD-20-336 (PDF, 723KB)  Fitness for Work Contractor Fact Sheet v3.0 (PDF, 171KB)
  

• MD-20-293 Guideline - Recipient Learner Guide and Logbook (PDF, 3828KB)
  

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)
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