Railways workers will now have their competency assessed on site after the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) launched the new Rail Industry Worker competency management system and the complementary Rail Industry Worker Card.

“The new Rail Industry Worker card will replace mountains of paperwork and provide a single point of reference for competency management in the rail industry”, ARA CEO Bryan Nye said.

Building on and replacing the Rail Safety Worker program which had been successfully implemented in New South Wales and beyond in early 2012, this industry led solution is designed to meet national regulatory requirements in the most effective and efficient way.

“Developed by the rail industry for the rail industry, the card will be a much quicker and easier way to check worker competency on-site, allowing employers piece of mind and allowing employees to get on with their work”, Mr Nye continued.

The cards will be equipped with the latest smart technology, allowing inspectors to scan them using smart phones or tablets, giving them secure access to key worker data.

Although registration for rail safety contractors remains the priority for the initial phase of the program, the Rail Industry Worker system has the inbuilt capacity to expand to other areas of the rail industry.

“Registration is simple; details are entered online with current documentation uploaded. The information is always live, so it can be easily updated at any time”, My Nye went on to say.

Once the documents have been uploaded and identity confirmed through a 100 point identification check at approved Australia Post outlets, the Rail Industry Worker card arrives via registered post.