Health and safety guidance

This page gives an overview of how European railway safety legislation has been retained in the UK.

Our responsibilities and HSE's responsibilities for enforcing asbestos laws and what those laws require.

We produce internal instructions and guidance in the form of railway guidance documents.

An overview of the Health and Safety (Enforcing Authority for Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems) Regulations 2006 (as amended) (EARR).

The concept of health and safety by design is to preferably eliminate, and if not eliminate to control, health and safety risks in infrastructure, rolling stock, equipment and processes by early consideration of potential risks and then dealing with those risks at the design stage.

We have produced 'Principles for health and safety on the railway' to help dutyholders understand how to meet our expectations for the high-level goals that should be achieved by the railway when complying with the health and safety legislation. It highlights the factors which should be addressed by anyone designing and putting into use new railways or rail vehicles, including major upgrades and