ERA guide for application of the Common Safety Methods ... - Europa

European Railway AgencyGuide for the application of the CSM Regulation EXPLANATION OF THE ARTICLES OF THECSM REGULATIONArticle 1. PurposeArticle 1 (1)This Regulation establishes a common safety method on risk evaluation and assessment (CSM)as referred to in Article 6(3)(a) of Directive 2004/49/EC.[G 1] Article 6(3)(a) of the Railway Safety Directive {Ref. 1} states that: “The CSMs shall describehow the safety level, and the achievement of safety targets and compliance with other safetyrequirements, are assessed by elaborating and defining risk evaluation and assessmentmethods”.[G 2] The CSM Regulation describes only how the safety levels and compliance with other safetyrequirements are assessed and met. The Railway Safety Directive {Ref. 1} mentions alsothe "achievement of the safety targets" in Article 6(3). The methods related to theassessment of the achievement of common safety targets (CST) at national level are basedon a statistical evaluation of past safety performance of national systems and as such aredifferent from the methods to assess the safety levels and the compliance with safetyrequirements. Those methods for assessing the achievement of the CST are subject of aseparate "Commission Decision on the adoption of a common safety method for theassessment of achievement of safety targets, as referred to in Article 6 of Directive2004/49/EC of the European Parliament and the Council" {Ref. 5}.[G 3] The process of "risk evaluation" is considered, in both the CSM Regulation and the presentguide, as being part of the overall "risk assessment process". Therefore, unless explicitlyrequired (e.g. need for a quantitative risk evaluation), the words "risk evaluation" are notused in these two documents.Article 1 (2)The purpose of the CSM on risk evaluation and assessment is to maintain or to improve the levelof safety on the Community‟s railways, when and where necessary and reasonably practicable.The CSM shall facilitate the access to the market for rail transport services throughharmonisation of:(a) the risk management processes used to assess the safety levels and the compliance withsafety requirements;(b) the exchange of safety-relevant information between different actors within the rail sector inorder to manage safety across the different interfaces which may exist within this sector;(c) the evidence resulting from the application of a risk management process.[G 1] The risk management and risk assessment processes referred to in the CSM Regulation andin Figure 3 relate to the processes that are put in place for assessing the safety levels andthe compliance with the safety requirements of a significant change. They are therefore onlya part of the overall risk management and risk assessment process of the railway Reference: ERA/GUI/01-2008/SAF Version: 1.1 Page 9 of 54File Name: Guide_for_Application_of_CSM_V1.1.docEuropean Railway Agency ● Boulevard Harpignies, 160 ● BP 20392 ● F-59307 Valenciennes Cedex ● France ● Tel. +33 (0)3 27 09 65 00 ● Fax +33 (0)3 27 33 40 65 ● http://www.era.europa.eu