Safe Asset Management - Coastal and Estuarial Defences

Transcription

1 Safe Asset Management - Coastal and Signatures removed from electronic version Submitted by Synopsis Sets out requirements for the examination of works protecting the railway infrastructure from sea and river encroachment.... Frank Hardy Nominated Responsible Manager Approved by... Tom Stevenson Chairman, Civil Engineering Subject Committee Authorised by... John Mitchell Controller, Safety Standards This document is the property of Railtrack PLC. It shall not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the Controller, Safety Standards, Railtrack PLC. Published by Safety & Standards Directorate Railtrack PLC Floor 2, Fitzroy House 355 Euston Road London NW1 3AG Copyright 1996Railtrack PLC

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3 Page 1 of 7 Contents Section Description Page Part A Issue record 2 Responsibilities and distribution 2 Compliance 2 Disclaimer 2 Supply 2 Part B 1 Purpose 3 2 Scope 3 3 Definitions 3 4 Principle 4 5 Competency 4 6 Requirements for Listing and Examination 4 7 Action Plan 6 8 Minimum Actions in the Event of a Flood or Storm Warning 6 9 Structures affected by Scour or Flooding 6 10 Records 6 References 7 R A I L T R A C K 1

4 Page 2 of 7 Withdrawn Document Part A Issue record This standard will be updated when necessary by distribution of a complete replacement. Amended or additional parts of revised pages will be marked by a vertical black line in the adjacent margin. Issue Date Comments 1 Jan 1996 Original Issue Responsibilities and Distribution The requirements of this shall be observed by anyone within Railtrack responsible for the examination and maintenance of Coastal and owned by Railtrack. Compliance The provisions of this are mandatory and full compliance shall be achieved by 6 April Health and Safety Responsibilities In authorising this Standard, Railtrack PLC makes no warranties, express or implied, that compliance with all or any of s is sufficient on its own to ensure safe systems of work or operation. Each user is reminded of its own responsibilities to ensure health and safety at work and its individual duties under health and safety legislation. Supply Controlled and uncontrolled copies of this standard must be obtained from Railtrack, Safety & Standards Department, Support Unit, Floor 2, Fitzroy House, 355 Euston Road, London NW1 3AG. 2 R A I L T R A C K

5 Page 3 of 7 Part B 1 Purpose This sets out the minimum requirements to ensure that all Coastal and are examined, and necessary actions taken following such examinations. 2 Scope This applies to all Coastal and Estuarial sites which fulfil a defence or protection function and that are owned and/or maintained by Railtrack. This must be observed by all persons within Railtrack with responsibility for the examination and maintenance of Coastal and Estuarial defences. 3 Definitions Coastal Defence A particular section of works defined by Ordnance Survey (O.S.) grid reference and railway track mileage. The term includes both Sea Defences and Coastal Protection Works Coastal Protection Works Works which prevent erosion of land and encroachment by the sea and perform no flood defence role. Coastal Protection Works exist seaward of the limits specified in the Fourth Schedule of the Coastal Protection Act 1949; for the purposes of this, the term includes estuarial protection works. ELR (Engineer's Line Reference) The three letter and optional numeral reference assigned to a section of railway. Estuarial Defence A particular site defined by O.S. grid reference and railway track mileage, the site of which falls inland of the Fourth Schedule of the Coastal Protection Act 1949 and which protects the railway or low lying areas from flooding by estuarial waters. Examining Engineer A chartered engineer/surveyor with practical experience in the examination, assessment and maintenance of Coastal and Estuarial Defences. National Rivers Authority (NRA) The organisation responsible for coast defences within England and Wales. R A I L T R A C K 3

6 Page 4 of 7 Withdrawn Document Railtrack Railtrack PLC which is incorporated as a registered company in England and Wales as No Railtrack Director's Nominee (RDN) means the Railtrack manager having appropriate qualification and/or experience with delegated responsibility for all or part of the infrastructure within a defined area or discipline. Sea Defence A particular section of works defined by Ordnance Survey (O.S.) grid reference and railway track mileage which protects low lying areas from flooding from the sea. 4 Principle The principle is that all Coastal and owned by Railtrack must provide adequate protection to the railway. 5 Competency 5.1 The appropriate Director within Railtrack must ensure that the responsibilities of those persons involved in the examination of Coastal and are clearly defined in writing and understood by them. 5.2 The skill, expertise and training of the person carrying out the duties must be related to the nature of the Coastal or Estuarial Defence being examined. This competency must be acknowledged by the judgement of the manager making the appointment. 6 Requirements for 6.1 Listing of Coastal and Listing and Examination The Railtrack Director s Nominee (RDN) must ensure that a listing of all Coastal and is prepared and kept up to date in accordance with the requirements of GC/RT5121 Examination of Structures. The listing must include:- the unique defence code allocated by Railtrack and the location along the railway related to the miles and yards within the ELR; Ordnance Survey grid references of the start and finish of the Defence; the height of the top of the defence above Ordnance Survey datum The RDN must ensure that the list identifies separately those sites: that fulfil a Sea Defence function; that are Coastal Protection Works solely providing protection to the infrastructure; that are. 4 R A I L T R A C K

7 Page 5 of Examination Frequency Coastal and must be examined at the intervals set out in GC/RT5121 Examination of Structures. Where the condition of Coastal and is such that the Examining Engineer considers that this interval can reasonably be increased, the written authority of the RDN must be obtained before increasing the interval between examinations. The RDN must not increase the interval between examinations beyond twice the interval shown in Table 1 of GC/RT All examinations must be carried out at low water whenever reasonably practicable to enable examination of the maximum area of the Coastal or Estuarial Defence Where appropriate, consideration must be given to arranging for an underwater examination to be carried out of those sections that are permanently below water level Examinations must be planned to be completed in a safe manner. Particular consideration must be given to the possibility of becoming trapped by incoming tides by the use of tide tables and other local information After exceptional severe weather After flooding, exceptional tides or gales, the RDN must give consideration to making an additional examination. If the additional examination is not carried out, the reasons for the decision must be recorded. 6.3 Access Route A safe access route must be ascertained and maintained to each Coastal and Estuarial Defence. As a minimum, the following items must be considered when selecting a route: existing rights of access; areas of quicksand and other soft ground on the foreshore; tidal currents where access is by boat. 6.4 Action to be taken after examination Following each examination, the RDN must ensure that the requirements of GC/RT5121 Examination of Structures are observed in respect of any actions that need to be taken. R A I L T R A C K 5

8 Page 6 of 7 Withdrawn Document When considering the actions that are required to be taken following any examination, particular attention must be given to maintaining the level of protection provided by the Coastal or Estuarial Defence. The RDN must consider obtaining specialist hydrological or marine engineering advice before executing any works which may affect water flows. Before executing any works to a Coastal or Estuarial Defence in England or Wales, the approval of the NRA must be sought and obtained; in Scotland the approval of the appropriate body must be sought and obtained. 7 Action Plan 7.1 Receipt of Warnings The appropriate Director within Railtrack must ensure that robust procedures are in place for the receipt of warnings of exceptional high tides or storms from the National River Authority, the Meteorological Office or other accredited source. 7.2 Action Plan The RDN must ensure that an action plan is produced for each Coastal or Estuarial Defence setting out the procedures that are required to be implemented when a warning is received. The action plan must include consideration of: the need to provide persons to watch the Defences; the actions to be taken in the event of damage affecting the safety of the railway or property protected by the Defence. 8 Minimum Actions in The appropriate Director within Railtrack must ensure that, when a the Event of a Flood or Storm Warning warning is received, procedures are in place to implement the action plan for each Coastal or Estuarial Defence in the area affected by the warning. 9 Structures affected When the load carrying capacity of a structure forming part of a Coastal or by Scour or Flooding Estuarial Defence is perceived to be at risk from the effects of scour or flooding, the requirements of GC/RT5143 Scour and Flooding - Managing the Risk must be observed in addition to the requirements in the preceding sections of this. 10 Records All actions taken and decisions made must be recorded. The records must be maintained in perpetuity. Lists of Coastal and must be maintained on an asset management database, such as GEOGIS. 6 R A I L T R A C K

9 Page 7 of 7 References Legislation Coastal Protection Act 1949 Railway Group Standards GC/RT5121 Examination of Structures GC/RT5143 Scour and Flooding - Managing the Risk GO/RT3411 Exceptional Weather - Managing the Risk R A I L T R A C K 7