About Us
About Rail Safety Consulting Australia
Rail Safety Consulting Australia has qualified expertise and long industry experience in many areas of rail operations safety management including:
- Rail safety management systems
- Hazard identification and risk mitigation
- Train management, train crewing configuration and operating methodology
- Train separation methodology in degraded modes and special operations
- Major and routine level occurrence systemic investigation
- Training – Systemic Investigation, Railway Safety Management
- Systems and compliance audit and inspection
- Trouble shooting and analysis of problem areas
- Exceeded limits of movement authority (SPAD) management
- Rail safety regulation and accreditation compliance and advice
- Line-side signal to train driver interface (signal sighting and siting)
- Operations safety in design
Rail Safety Consulting Australia engages the client to create a reliable and enduring consulting relationship as well as providing a quality and value for money outcome. With an active interest in railway operations and safety, signalling practice and safeworking methods, Rail Safety Consulting Australia offers practical solutions in rail safety.
As a contractor, Rail Safety Consulting Australia is aware of its safety responsibilities to the client and their obligations under Workplace Health and Safety legislation.
About the Director and Owner of Rail Safety Consulting Australia
Phillip Barker is Director and Owner of Rail Safety Consulting Australia.
As a rail operations safety professional having many years of senior and executive level management experience in Australian and overseas Government and private sector organisations, Phillip is well known and respected within the rail industry.
Over his 30 years of experience, Phillip has worked with a wide cross-section of rail industry stakeholders in passenger and freight operations, network infrastructure, regulation and investigation, consulting, and associated organisations.
Previous positions held include:
- Director – Rail Safety Regulation (Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads)
- Railway Expert – Safety and Investigation (Saudi Railways Commission)
- General Manager Safety – Rail (Adani Mining)
- Manager Safety, Environment and Quality (Tait Communications)
- Rail Business Manager and Principal Consultant (Halcrow)
- Senior Rail Safety Investigator (Australian Transport Safety Bureau)
- Principal Advisor – Rail Safety (Queensland Transport)
- Train Crewing Manager (Queensland Rail)
- Safe Working Superintendent (Queensland Rail)
- Train Driver and Train Driver Trainer (Queensland Rail, National Rail Corporation)
With a keen customer focused risk and opportunity based approach supporting client project objectives, Phillip can bring extensive expert and specialist knowledge to key areas of operations safety definition and development, safety management systems and safe operating procedures, systems audit and independent accident investigation.
Phillip holds formal qualifications including:
- Masters Degree – Railway Operations Management (with Distinction)
- Advanced Diploma Occupational Health and Safety (Governance and Systems, Implementation and Assurance)
- Diploma of Transport Safety Investigation
- Diploma of Government
- ICAM (Investigate rail safety incidents)
- Certificate IV, Total Quality Management
- Licence to Perform High Risk Work (Steam boiler and engine)
- TAE40116 CertIV Training and Assessment
Phillip is a registered holder of a Rail Industry Worker Card.
Professional membership and grading is held with the following institutions:
- Institution of Railway Operators – Fellow
- Safety Institute of Australia – Chartered Practicing Member and Registered Safety Practitioner (Australia)
- Institution of Railway Signal Engineers – Affiliate.
In 1996, Phillip developed leading edge solutions and managed a successful program of signals passed at danger mitigation at Queensland Rail Passenger Services achieving a significant turnaround in occurrence rates; receiving the Queensland Rail – Chief Executive Officer’s Commendation for this human factors related work in 2002.