IRQB Insights is an article series introducing various technical aspects of rail quality and the IRIS Certification scheme. The article series helps to explain and provide insight to the operational matters of the certification and quality management processes.

ISO/TS 22163 is the standard specifying business management system requirements for rail organisations. ISO/TS 22163 is largely based on ISO 9001, that is a general quality management system standard used by millions of companies around the world. In addition, the ISO/TS 22163 includes specific requirements tailor-made for the high quality business management in the railway sector.

One of the additional criteria set out in the ISO/TS 22163 concerns the safety policy. Safety in the ISO/TS 22163 concerns product, not personal safety, and is defined as “freedom from unacceptable risk of harm”. Companies striving towards the IRIS Certification shall establish, implement, maintain and communicate their safety policy in a similar manner to their quality policy. In order to succeed in their safety policies, companies are advised to assure that all employees understand the importance of product safety and make safety policy an important part of their professional life. Similarly to quality policy, safety policy shall include objectives helping to reach and maintain higher product safety goals. The safety objectives could for example include:

• Closing the safety related issues within 48 hours after being raised by the customer
• Reducing the number of product recalls due to safety issues
• Reduction of electrical accidents

Company management shall regularly oversee the safety policy and its objectives as part of the management review procedure.