Keeping our railways running safely this winter
Content archived on 14 September 2025
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ORR chief executive Richard Price explains what the regulator is doing over the winter period to ensure minimal disruptions to passengers.
Health and safety
Train driver receives prison sentence for ignoring safety systems
Content archived on 14 September 2025
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Former First Capital Connect train driver, Scott Walford, has received a three-month suspended prison sentence and been ordered to pay costs of £500, after he ignored warnings and safety systems on the Cambridge to London train he was driving – placing passengers and staff on board in great danger. On 7 November, Mr Walford pleaded guilty following a prosecution brought by the Office of Rail
Occupational health strategy and progress
5 November 2014
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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
41,000 hours inspecting the railways already this year
Content archived on 14 September 2025
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Tom Wake – ORR's principal inspector, Network Rail - South East
BAM Nuttall fined £140,000 for crushing construction worker under six tonne concrete and steel beam
Content archived on 14 September 2025
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BAM Nuttall Ltd has been fined £140,000 and ordered to pay costs of £42,700 following a prosecution by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). The company pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety law in December 2010, during the replacement of a South London railway bridge, and causing a construction worker to suffer life changing injuries.
Making our railways safer
Content archived on 14 September 2025
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As director of health and safety and HM chief inspector of railways, I lead a team of inspectors who spend most of their time out and about on the railways. We work with Network Rail, train operators and others from across the industry to help make Britain's railways safer whether you are travelling or working on them. Inspectors have been doing this for quite a while – 175 years next year.
Balfour Beatty fined £350,000 for causing rail worker electric shock
Content archived on 14 September 2025
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Balfour Beatty Rail Projects Ltd has today been fined £350,000 and ordered to pay costs of £50,000 following a prosecution by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). The company has been found guilty of breaching health and safety law, and causing a rail worker to suffer serious burns after coming into contact with the 25000 volt overhead lines near Cricklewood in March 2011.
Why the great success of Britain’s railways also presents major safety challenges
Content archived on 14 September 2025
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Britain's railways are carrying record numbers of passengers and freight on the network today – there were more than 1.5bn passenger journeys on the network in 2013-14, up from around 1.2bn in 2008-09. The amount of freight goods carried has increased from 102.7 million tonnes in 2008-09 to 116.6 million tonnes in 2013-14.
Predict and prevent in practice – Richard Price
Content archived on 14 September 2025
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Welcome to the new ORR blog. One of the privileges of being chief executive is that I get the first crack at writing a blog entry. I want to use this to give you a better insight into what people at ORR do and why - working across the industry to ensure an efficient, effective and safe railway for everyone.
Revising railway safety regulations: Railway Safety (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 1997, Railway Safety Regulations 1999 and Railway Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2001
8 July 2014
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In 2014, as part of the Government's 'Red Tape Challenge' to reduce unnecessary secondary legislation, we consulted on our proposals to revoke the Railway Safety (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 1997, Railway Safety Regulations 1999 and Railway Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2001 (together ‘the current Regulations’) and replace them with a new set of regulations. The decision