We supply the following services to the level crossing and rail safety community;
ALCAM Field Surveys
- Nelson-Furnell is able to conduct full ALCAM field surveys in a range of locations from urban areas to remote outback Queensland.
- Robust surveying and field recording techniques provide extensive on-site data checking, minimising the incidence of errors in the recorded data and producing reliable risk assessment results.
- Extremely detailed knowledge of the ALCAM models and their inputs means all risks are considered and documented at the point of survey.
- Many years of experience in the rail environment mean all safety and operational procedures are observed by fully qualified staff and liaison with relevant stakeholders is carried out by industry professionals.
Risk Assessment and Advice
Risk Evaluation and Assessment
- Field assessments and standard, technical ALCAM rating reporting are augmented by practical, appropriate and easily understood interpretation and guidance on identified risks by a consultant with unrivaled understanding of the risk models and of level crossing issues.
- Experience within the rail safety regulatory environment and practical engineering knowledge provides powerful insights into level crossing risk to the benefit of the client.
- From the first conversations and briefings to the issue of the finalised report the client's requirements will be clearly articulated and all crossing safety risks fully explored and explained.
- Intimate knowledge of the rail safety regulatory environment, the requirements of legislation and the common approaches taken by government agencies to managing risk and funding risk mitigation allows Nelson-Furnell to engage with all stakeholders as part of the assessment process.
- The analysis reporting will therefore be tailored to provide maximum value to the client and be easily understood, appropriate and persuasive to the audience.
- The advice provided will be credible as it is based on well accepted and rigorous risk modeling coupled with the extensive experience of a highly qualified consultant.
Training
Field Assessment Training
- Training for in-house ALCAM field survey staff can be provided to organisations who are ALCAM members or their stakeholders. This applies to most rail companies and road agencies. This training will follow the training curriculum issued by the ALCAM committee.
- Training is conducted by the qualified trainer who developed the original ALCAM field assessment training package. Experience in running this program across a number of States and rail systems results in a course tailored to the client's operation and the individual trainees knowledge and background.
- ALCAM data sets are able to be used at many levels, from collecting field data to analysing conditions and risks at individual crossings to prioritising jurisdiction-wide works programs or selecting crossings to deal with strategic issues. Coaching services can be arranged to train staff at every level in the proper and appropriate use of ALCAM data, either on its own or in combination with other data sources and systems.
Data Auditing
Data Audit Services
- Since their creation as early as 2004 ALCAM data sets have been built up over time with a range of different processes and staffing. Changes to the ALCAM models, the recommended field practices and the data structures within the ALCAM LXM database system can sometimes result in shortcomings in the data.
- Nelson-Furnell have developed a range of techniques to audit and identify issues with data based on an intimate understanding of its structure, ALCAM recommended practice and the practicalities of the data collection process.
- Services to check ALCAM data for systematic problems can be provided and comprehensive remediation strategies devised.
- If issues are identified, efficient and cost effective data remediation services can be provided to address them without diverting scarce in-house resources.
Expert Witness
- Legal inquiries into level crossing crashes can require knowledgeable, qualified and independent advice on risks and practices. ALCAM data often forms part of evidence and needs interpretation.
- Nelson-Furnell can provide the services of a highly credentialed consultant who has experience providing or giving evidence in a number of significant fatal level crossing cases.