Rail Industry Worker program

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The Rail Industry Worker program went live in March 2013 and has been endorsed by a number of major rail operators across the country. The program is owned and endorsed by the Australasian Railway Association (ARA), of which Queensland Rail is a member, to provide a single national competency management system for everyone working in the rail industry. It meets regulatory requirements and complies with national rail safety laws.

By law, everyone working on the Australian rail network must be able to provide proof of competency. This is the best way to reduce the risk of untrained people working on the rail network. The aim of competency management is to minimise the risk of u​ntrained personnel carrying out any work on the Australian rail network.​

If you intend to undertake rail safety work for Queensland Rail or the work you are contracted to perform (which may not be rail safety work) on behalf of Queensland Rail falls within the rail corridor, you will need to apply for a RIW card.


Background

Rail Safety National Law requires rail safety workers to ensure:

  • They are competent to carry out rail safety work
  • They are assessed for competence
  • They undertake a medical assessment
  • Records of competence/qualifications are maintained
  • Each rail safety worker carries identification that enables their competency ​and training to be checked.


Rail safety workers are people who:

Please refer to Rail Safety National Law (Section 8 "Meaning of Rail Safety Work").

Direct all inquiries to: railsafetyworker@qr.com.au, opens in new window

Image of a Rail Industry Work card, depicts a photo of the cardholder, their full name, RIW number, issue number and QR Code


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Ordering Rail Industry Worker Cards

https://www.riw.net.au/, opens in new window​​

The following contractors must carry Rail Industry Worker identification when working for Queensland Rail and present this (on request) to a Rail Safety Officer/Regulator from the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator or a Queensland Rail representative:

  • All contractors undertaking rail safety work, as defined under section 8 of the Rail Safety National Law (Note: there are no exceptions)
  • Contractors performing work for Queensland Rail in the rail corridor

Exclusions:

Those excluded from carrying Rail Industry Worker identification are:

Contractors who are:

  • Working on station buildings with limited to no exposure to the danger zone 
  • Deliveries to the rail corridor outside the danger zone
  • One-off entry to the rail corridor where contractors have completed a Rail Corridor Induction Checklist are operating under a PO and where it is not reasonably practical to expect the contractor to obtain a RIW card due to the short-term nature of their work in the rail corridor.
  • External third parties (non-rail related) not contracted by Queensland Rail, such as telecommunications workers

There are no exceptions for rail safety workers.


Training

For all of your trackside safety training requirements please contact one of our licensed training providers below.

​Training Provider
 ​Phone
 ​Email
Accell, opens in new window ​07 5445 7998
 ​bookings@accell.com.au, opens in new window
Centre for Excellence in Rail Training (CERT), opens in new window ​07 3908 0430
 ​qldadmin@cert.edu.au, opens in new window
Go Train, opens in new window ​07 3274 2350
 ​enquiries@gotrain.com.au, opens in new window
JMD Railtech, opens in new window 1300 695 637
 training@jmdr.com, opens in new window
Occupational Skills Centre, opens in new window 1300 463 828
 ​info@occskills.com.au, opens in new window
The Instruction Company, opens in new window ​1300 036 390 
 ​qld.office@ticrail.com.au, opens in new window


E-Learning

  • E-Learning training can only be accessed online, via the RIW system, and is not classroom based.
  • Contractors cannot access E-Learning training independently. 
  • RIW system employer Administrators will need to assign E-Learning modules to relevant contractors (Please click on the link to access the guide: E-Learning, opens in new window)

Competency management forms


Contractor bulletins​​

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Key documents

Competence matrices

Please note: Due to the organisational-specific nature of the Queensland Rail Trackside Safety courses, which also align with national units of competencies, Queensland Rail will only accept enterprise-specific courses delivered by our licensed training providers and as outlined in the Trackside Safety Matrix. Units of competence issued by other RTO's will be recognised, however there is still a requirement for contractors to attend the enterprise-specific course/s delivered by the licensed training providers. These providers will issue a 'Certificate of Attendance upon successful completion which contractors will need to upload to enable full role registration within the RIW System, opens in new window.