Independent Safety Assessment
Undergoing an Independent Safety Assessment (ISA) provides managers with confidence that their projects are meeting recognised rail industry, legal and regulatory standards.
Our rail team have been provided ISA services for over 20 years, with projects ranging from new products to the development of entire rail systems from initial design to commission.
The service typically applies the requirements of the CENELEC EN50126 and EN50129 standards as the basic criteria against which the safety engineering of railway products and systems are assessed, since these define a systems and safety engineering lifecycle and the contents of safety cases for railway safety systems.
These standards call up a range of other relevant standards such as CENELEC EN50128 and EN50657 for software, CENELEC EN50121 for EMC, and CENELEC EN50159 for communications. However, ISA work can be performed against other relevant standards such as IEC 61508, and to standards directly relevant to electrical, mechanical systems and civils structures for specific products and railway sub-systems.
Our ISA work is offered as an Accredited or Unaccredited service.
Projects
Toronto Ontario Line
Read case study
Dubai Metro and Tram
Read case study
Queensland Rail ETCS Safety Assessment
Read case studyIndependent Safety Assessment
An Independent Safety Assessment (ISA) is a service undertaken by a third party to confirm that a product, system or entire railway meets recognised industry, legal and regulatory standards that relate to safety.
It can encompass the safety assessment and audit of any design, manufacture, installation, testing and safety documentation for the engineering systems, and extend to any procedures, preparations and safety policies in place ahead of a railway's entry into service or a product's release to the market.
ISA can be provided as an accredited service (ie against specific/mandated regulations) by one of our registered certification companies, or unaccredited, which is typically as a voluntary exercise by a manufacturer or system developer seeking to demonstrate their commitment to safety.
Appointing an ISA demonstrates that your business is committed to operating in a safe, sustainable and efficient manner.
By proving that the safety aspects of your products or systems have been subjected to rigorous and continual oversight by a third party with no financial interest or connection to the project, you are sending a reassuring message of transparency to passengers, regulators, investors and employees.
ISA can be performed as either an accredited or unaccredited service.
Ricardo Certification Limited, Ricardo Certification Iberia S.L and Ricardo Beijing Company Ltd offer an accredited ISA service under their respective accreditations to ISO/IEC 17020 as an Inspection Body.
Ricardo Rail Australia is an Authorised Engineering Organisation, which can provide ISA services for Transport for New South Wales in Australia.
Ricardo Certification Limited is accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) as an Inspection Body under ISO/IEC 17020 to offer ISA services in Canada.
Ricardo's accredited companies have worked on the assessment of new products and systems, changes to complex products, overseen updates to existing systems, and supported new railways from initial design to commissioning.
The ISA service applies the CENELEC EN50126 and EN50129 standards as the basic criteria against which the safety engineering of railway products and systems are assessed. They define a systems and safety engineering lifecycle and the contents of safety cases for railway safety systems.
These standards call up a range of other relevant standards such as CENELEC EN50128 and EN50657 for software, CENELEC EN50121 for electromagnetic compatibility, and CENELEC EN50159 for communications.
However, ISA work can also be performed against other relevant standards, such as IEC 61508. We can also apply standards directly relevant to electrical and mechanical systems and civil structures for specific products and railway sub-systems.
Independent Competent Person
An Independent Competent Person (ICP) is an expert in a particular technical or operational field (e.g. a product or system) capable of forming an independent judgement on behalf of a client or industry authortiy in connection with specified requirements or standards associated with a technIcal product or system.
ICPs are often engaged in complex technical areas e.g. fire integrity.
In the UK market, the role can also performs Safety Verification on new or changed parts of the railway under the Railways and other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations (ROGS) for non-mainline railway systems i.e. those that do not fall under the Railways (Interoperability) Regulations. Works with the Duty Holder to agree a written scheme for safety verification and provides reports concluding on the extent to which agreed criteria are fulfilled.
Why choose Ricardo Certification
Efficiency and collaboration
We use bespoke tools and processes that reduce administration, minimise delays and prevent cost overruns.
International network
We will bring best practice and techniques honed from performing assessments throughout the world.
Rail domain specialists
Rail systems experts will be responsible for preparing all outputs and will provide constructive feedback throughout the process.
An industry voice
Many of our assessors are contributors to the Working Groups and industry forums that define technical standards and assessment criteria.
Independent software assessment
Our Independent Software Assessments provide the same level of rigour and attention to detail to any aspect of software development and application within the rail domain.
Performed in accordance with relevant international standards and recognised industry best practice, our assessments help clients throughout the rail sector to:
- Identify software hazards and potential quality problems
- Assess trade-offs between software quality requirements
- Make software architectural and design decisions
- Manage software risk and ensure standards compliance
Independent Safety Assessment Resources
