Forged logbooks, compromised training: Rail watchdog issues safety worker alert
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Rail safety staff in three states have had their accreditations revoked after the nation’s rail watchdog issued an urgent notice about fraudulent training of workers who help upgrade and repair the network.
The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator issued an urgent notice after it uncovered evidence that people had been certified as rail safety workers using tampered and manipulated logbooks that falsely suggested they had completed practical training.
V/Line is assessing the credentials of contractors and employees linked to two training organisations.Credit: Eddie Jim
It was also alleged that some students had been ruled as competent without having done on-the-job training, as is required. They have since had their certifications revoked.
The safety notice issued on Friday relates to staff with qualifications that had come from Skilled Rail Services Pty Ltd, also named as Programmed Rail, or had been certified by the Centre for Excellence in Rail Training (CERT) Pty Ltd.
In an alert, the safety regulator’s chief operating officer Peter Doggett urged all rail operators to verify that their “safety critical” staff had valid credentials.
“The evidence to date shows that safe working competencies issued by two organisations have been compromised,” he said in the letter.
The Australian Rail Track Corporation operates more than 8500 kilometres of track.Credit: ARTC
The ruling has called into question the qualifications of workers who assist in maintenance and everyday running of the railway network, including for the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), which operates and maintains more than 8500 kilometres of track across the nation.
Rail safety work is a broad description for various types of employee. It includes people who do physical labour such as track work and those who shut lines for maintenance or ensure the safe passage of trains during construction.
The companies have refused to say how many workers have been caught up in the crackdown. CERT and the Rail Track Corporation said it affected only a small number of people.
Two industry sources, who were not authorised to speak publicly, told this masthead there were concerns that all workers covered by the safety notice could be suspended pending investigation or have their licences revoked. There were fears it could push back timelines on upgrade and repair projects that require the workers to proceed, they said.
Metro Tunnel work in May 2023.Credit: Justin McManus
The industry has grown significantly in Victoria as demand has increased with the removal of level crossings, the growth of the metropolitan network, major V/Line upgrades and the construction of tracks in the Metro Tunnel.
A Rail Track Corporation spokesman said the organisation was working with both companies mentioned in the warning to find those affected and address the problem.
“ARTC has temporarily restricted the use of Programmed Rail from its panel of safe working service providers,” he said.
“This impacts a small number of contractors who may need to be recertified in order to work on ARTC’s network.
“Safety is always our highest priority, and these proactive actions will provide assurance that everyone who works on our network has received the appropriate training and is qualified to do so.”
In a statement on its website, CERT said the manipulated logbooks had been isolated to those completed by people working for a single employer, as recently as November 20.
“CERT Training became aware that possibly compromised on-job training workbooks had been supplied for some of its ARTC safe working courses,” the statement said.
“In response, an internal review was launched, during which we collaborated with the relevant stakeholders. The review concluded that there were incidents where workbook evidence for on-job training supplied to CERT Training had been compromised.
“We have been proactive in our communication with impacted safe workers and their current employers and offering the appropriate support.”
The CERT statement also said a “limited number” of students who completed practical training in Victoria, NSW and South Australia with the same employer had their certifications reversed due to compromised evidence.
Victorian regional rail operator V/Line said it was urgently assessing the credentials of contractors and employees linked to both organisations and had contacted them seeking assurances about their training.
“Safety is our number one priority and we are undertaking a review into the organisations named in [the safety alert] from last Friday,” a spokesman said.
Programmed Rail was contacted for comment.
Victoria’s Rail, Tram and Bus Union secretary Vik Sharma said the union would work with the industry to maintain training standards and ensure work could continue.
“Safety of workers and the network must never be compromised,” he said.
The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator’s probe is the second major intervention into Victoria’s rail safety industry this year. In May, the regulator launched an investigation into allegations of fraud by labour hire companies on Victoria’s Big Build and other railway projects across the state.
The investigation, first revealed by the Herald Sun, came as building companies and operators launched internal probes into the issue amid concerns millions of dollars had been claimed from “ghost shifts” that were never filled or only partially attended. Dozens of rail safety workers had their accreditations revoked pending further investigation.
The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator also issued a public warning in September over concerns that some parts of Australia were reaching a “tipping point” for ageing rail infrastructure that exposed the network to greater danger.
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