Inquiries & Recommendations

Ngā ketuketutanga me ngā tūtohunga

Review the hazardous cargo procedures for freight offered by courier companies.

ensure that Driving Creek Railway, and any other licensed railways of less than 550 mm track gauge where warranted, include in their safety case a requirement for an annual inspection of track, structures and mechanical equipment by independent, qualified persons to confirm that the acceptable safety standards are being maintained

Review their controller training and checking standards to ensure that adequate emphasis continues to be given to the use of basic flight progress strip information.

Review Section 7 paragraph 2.1 of the Instrument Flight Guide and amend it so as to clarify which phase of flight is being referred to in the various parts.

Conduct a risk assessment of vessel operations in adverse weather conditions and put in place procedures and guidelines to minimise the risks inherent in such operations. Guidance should include, but not be limited to, clearing distances off the shore and other vessels, areas of operation, ship board organisation and how best to handle the vessel in the prevailing conditions.

Establish a system to ensure proper monitoring and control of service bulletins.

There is no requirement for health professionals who provide primary health care to transport industry personnel employed in safety-critical roles to inform appropriate authorities when there are concerns regarding the fitness of duty of such personnel under their care. In this instance the driver had been prescribed a collection of medications that singularly or collectively had the potential to adversely affect his performance, yet he continued to drive freight and passenger trains. The Commission recommends that the Secretary for Transport address this safety issue.

Enlist the assistance of the New Zealand Railways to develop suitable instruction outlines and supporting pictorial and other aids for alerting pupils to such hazards.

Identify all other private level crossings that are neither statutory nor granted, and either execute a deed of grant for each crossing that meets technical standards and there is a need to retain the crossing, or close the crossing.

The requirement for duplicate inspections after maintenance is performed on critical aircraft systems reduces the risk of a maintenance error remaining undetected and causing an accident. However, there are only a few specified control systems that are deemed critical and that require duplicate inspections. There are other important systems – for example, the landing gear and brakes – that are not subjected to the same level of scrutiny. This is a safety issue, particularly for aircraft used in air transport operations where the consequences of an accident could be greater.

Participate with the Land Transport Safety Authority, Toll NZ, Papakura District Council and Auckland City Council in a review of all existing railway level crossings within the Auckland metropolitan area, to ensure that their design, layout, signage and warning devices are adequate for current road and rail traffic volumes and will be adequate to meet projected increases in rail traffic on the Auckland rail corridors.

Examine the practicality to erecting "crib" type barriers at the lower end of long sloping ramps between overhead bridges and platforms to reduce the hazard to platform users from cyclists and skaters who take advantage of these slopes