Launched in 2011 RM3, or the Risk Management Maturity Model as practically no one calls it, has been a remarkable success.
RM3 was created to explain to organisations what the ORR looks at when judging their ability to achieve excellence in health and safety management and it was quickly adopted as the go-to guide across the industry.
It is a tool which identifies what people need to be doing so that the railway will run safely and effectively, providing a checklist of 26 themes ranging from having proper governance and leadership to ensuring there are sound arrangements to ensure that people are competent to do their jobs.
Railways are in the business of avoiding harm to customers, neighbours and their own staff and RM3 enables them to assess how they measure up against each of the themes – and change their practices where necessary.
It was quickly embedded in health and safety management in railways of all sizes and the Health & Safety Laboratory (HSL) saw its potential for use in other fields and started using RM3 as part of its training courses for people working in a variety of industries.
And now HSL and ORR have worked together to revamp RM3 with better illustrations and even easier-to-use language which makes it more accessible to a wider audience of health and safety professionals and managers across the economy.
HSL is running training courses on understanding and using RM3 in London and Birmingham.
In July we will be publishing ORR’s Annual Health and Safety Report of Performance on Britain’s Railways: 2016-17 which will provide an update on how the industry is moving towards achieving excellence in health and safety management using the RM3 approach.