Companies undergo an assessment to prove they are able to deliver a compliant service or product and that can display the RISAS certificate. But how do we know if they can keep achieving at that level? And what happens if something changes?

RISAS provides for a single, robust, and transparent ‘process-based’ assessment of a supplier of critical rolling stock products and services. Companies that want to hold a certificate with RISAS apply to have an assessment of their activity undertaken by a third party which specialises in and is recognised for this type of assessment.

RSSB roles

We at RSSB have two key roles in defining, developing, and delivering RISAS: to manage and to innovate it.

We also conduct the assessment of the supplier, in line with what RISAS requires. All of which is documented to ensure consistency, objectivity, impartiality, and professionalism for everyone concerned.

Maintaining the critical parts of rail vehicles means managing high levels of risk. So, the assessment is vigorous. The people and processes, along with the culture they’re operating in, from board room to shop floor, are all individually reviewed. This provides evidence that the company’s performance and operation meet the requirements of the RISAS protocol.

Advantages

The advantage of having an objective third party doing the assessment and appraisal is that you end up with a single, independent, and trusted certificate, which all buyers can recognise. While buyers know they need to ensure they obtain the right level of assurance in the right areas, the RISAS certificate diminishes, if not removes, the need for additional audits or assessments which may go over the same ground again, thus saving time and money.

Ongoing monitoring

However, it's easily overlooked that RISAS is a monitored assessment. It's not a case of getting a certificate, hanging it up in reception and then forgetting about it. This is not just a snapshot in time.

Companies holding a RISAS certificate will need to stay in touch with us, to make sure they continuously perform in line with the requirements. We are also responsible for continuing to monitor companies who have been assessed and certified. Most companies will agree monitoring arrangements at the same time as the initial assessment.

Any change to the business, operational change, or major event, could trigger contact from us. For example, if a company holding a RISAS certificate wants to introduce a new wheel lathe, this will result in changes in the risk profile of the company concerned. In these cases, we will need to check that changes are adequately managed and controlled, and that the spirit and letter of activities is still in line with the certificate.

Safety concerns

It's important to emphasise that the certificate holder is obliged to let their Rail Industry Supplier Assurance Assessment team know if there are issues that might affect the efficacy of their certificate. That could be a production or operation issue, an internal problem, or a report like an NIR.

We also have a proactive monitoring role. If a report is published, such as RAIB or NIR, that questions particular processes or even one of their clients, we will take notice and get in touch with the supplier in question.

Certificate holders are to flag these things up as early as possible, to ensure there is no interruption to the certificate’s validity.