scope:

This Standard applies to:

a) assets owned or leased by NR;

b) assets procured indirectly through a contracted service from a third party.

This Standard also applies to all NR staff, including agents acting on behalf of NR, involved in the:

a) maintenance of Rail Vehicles;

b) operation of Rail Vehicles; or

c) use of Rail Vehicles.

The existence of this Standard does not preclude third parties acting as contractors for NR from using their own documented processes if they:

a) are fully audited on their Safety Management System and controls to ensure appropriate certification and risk mitigation are in place prior to contract award, unless there are other controls in place by regulatory body;

b) are clearly identified in the submission to the Professional Head of Plant or T&RS; and

c) are equivalent (or better) and provide a continuing level of asset protection acceptable to NR, as agreed by the Professional Head of Plant or T&RS.

NOTE 1: Such applications will be supported by a risk assessment in accordance with the Common Safety Method for Risk Evaluation and Assessment (CSM RA) (or applicable elements) and clearly state the difference in impact (effectiveness of control measure or reduced risk consequence) between implementing NR safety requirements or the third party's documented processes.

This Standard does not apply to:

a) assets supplied under contract from an accredited Freight OperatingCompany;

b) assets supplied on a short-term (less than four weeks) or spot hire basis;

NOTE 2: Where this standard does not apply, the operator should have their own Safety Management System in place to manage the risk.

Purpose

This Standard defines the minimum requirements for all technical and engineering activities related to the management of maintenance and associated changes to assets or processes for Railbound Vehicles and On Track Plant (OTP) assets within the Plant and Traction and Rolling Stock (T&RS) portfolio. The implementation of this Standard will mitigate the following:

a) The deployment of vehicles, safety critical products and services that are notfit for use; and

b) The risk to Network Rail (NR) staff, including agents acting on their behalf, contractors and the public through poorly controlled changes to assets or associated processes.