A Controller of Site Safety or COSS is a person qualified by the British company

Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...

to ensure safe practice for work occurring on or near

rail infrastructure Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' ( ...

. Their primary role is to set up a safe system of work to protect staff from trains and trains from staff and activities. The preferred safe systems of working where the staff are protected from line open to

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pul ...

movements, either by blocking some or all lines to traffic or controlling the distance the group is from the track (called Safeguarded / Fenced / Separated areas in order of consideration). This method was formerly called a Green Zone. This is the safest way of working due to the higher risks with trains moving at speed, although many incidents still happen within blocks. Open Line working (formerly known as Red Zone) means the lines are open to train movements; this is seen as more risky than Safeguarded / Fenced / Separated areas, and is avoided in the rail industry where practicable. The COSS is responsible for the

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

of the entire group and is subject to prosecution should someone be killed or injured by their

negligence Negligence (Lat. ''negligentia'') is a failure to exercise appropriate and/or ethical ruled care expected to be exercised amongst specified circumstances. The area of tort law known as ''negligence'' involves harm caused by failing to act as a ...

. To become a COSS someone should have served a suitable period of time on the railways and undertake a five-day course. This is then followed by a period of mentoring by an experienced COSS and then independent regular assessments to ensure that the subject is

competent Competence may refer to: *Competence (geology), the resistance of a rock against deformation or plastic flow. *Competence (human resources), a standardized requirement for an individual to properly perform a specific job *Competence (law), the me ...

to undertake their role safely and effectively. The rules around performing the role of a COSS are stated in the Rule Book a set of documents issued to track staff detailing their duties. A COSS is distinguishable on site by wearing a blue armlet on the left arm or upper body with white lettering the word "COSS". Previously, the COSS was known as the Person In Charge Of Work/Possession, or PICOW/PICOP.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Controller Of Site Safety Railway safety Railway occupations