Occupational health

The Risk Management Maturity Model (RM3) provides a useful mechanism to understand the capability of the organisation to sustain (or improve) high levels of effective control ie to understand why an organisation is performing as it is. Information captured from the audits can be used to help inform the RM3 evaluation.

This stage tests the assumptions made in relation to the controls and their level of effectiveness, and also implements the monitoring arrangements determined in stage 3.

Once the risk profile has been established (the bow ties) it becomes possible to establish the vulnerability of the organisation to the identified hazards and the criticality of the controls.

Assurance that the health risks are being effectively and efficiently managed can only be achieved if there is a full understanding of the health risk profile of the organisation, proportionate to the significance of the risks

This is the foundation of the assurance framework and will ensure that any risk analysis will build on a sound legal basis.

Taking care of the health of employees is important. It is a legal requirement, but is also a foundation of a sustainable, motivated workforce.

This guidance is aimed at assurance practitioners, such as those who have responsibility for ensuring that health is effectively managed in the organisation, as well as ORR inspectors.

ORR's Closing the Gap on Health report provides a comprehensive review of rail industry progress in managing occupational health by the end of our 2014-19 health programme. We have used this evidence-based review to identify our strategic priorities on health for the coming years in a revised occupational health chapter. We also have five position papers on the key health risks in the railway

As part of ORR's strategy to raise awareness on occupational health under our health programme, we will publicise recent cases where formal enforcement action has been taken to secure legal compliance