43-723: HMRI may refer to: His Majesty's Railway Inspectorate , in the UK Housing Market Renewal Initiative , in the UK Huntington Medical Research Institutes , in Pasadena, California Hunter Medical Research Institutem in Newcastle, New South Wales Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
86-464: A company being inspected. Paragraph 5 meant new works on existing lines were liable to the same inspection regime as new lines. The BoT could now set up a formal court of inquiry to investigate an accident, taking evidence on oath in public hearings. Inspectors investigating an accident were now required to make a formal report to the BoT, which was now empowered to publish reports (from an inspector or from
129-649: A court of inquiry) directly. Subsequent public inquiries under the new powers included those into the Shipton-on-Cherwell train crash in 1874 (chaired by an inspector William Yolland ), and into the Tay Bridge disaster of 1879. However, the procedure fell into abeyance after the failure of the three-man board (of which Yolland, by now chief inspecting officer, was a member) of the Tay Bridge inquiry to arrive at an agreed report. For many years in
172-407: A junction unaltered since an 1862 fatal accident, despite an inspector having urged improvements) pressed for such powers: Their Lordships have no control whatever over railways after they are once opened for traffic, however defective and dangerous the structures and permanent way may be, and however imperfectly the construction of junctions and the laying out of altered station yards may provide for
215-605: A large piece of cargo, cast iron, fell from a wagon and derailed the following carriages. It happened on the Hull and Selby Railway as the train was travelling from Leeds to Hull. The crash was one of the first railway accidents to be investigated by the Railway Inspectorate . One of the worst accidents to have occurred on the new UK rail network, it was also a new phenomenon for the public; shipwrecks and coal mining accidents were more frequent. Sir Frederick Smith ,
258-635: A member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) which had passed all practical tests could be rejected by a railway inspector because he was uncomfortable with its novel design) was criticised by the ICE: "The subject has been discussed in the Institution of Civil Engineers, and every eminent engineer was of the opinion that the Government inspector was clearly wrong". Threatened with a call for
301-405: A parliamentary enquiry should approval continue to be withheld, the inspectorate reconsidered and approved the bridge un-modified. Subsequently, and consequently, the BoT took the view that (as it explained in defending itself from criticism that the defects in the Tay Bridge should have been seen and acted upon by the inspectorate): "The duty of an inspecting officer, so far as regards design,
344-609: A responsibility not committed to him by Parliament." Critics at the end of the 1850s also noted that during the Crimean War , the Grand Crimean Central Railway had been built to forward supplies from Balaclava to British siege lines not by the Royal Engineers, but by a consortium of civilian railway contractors. If the government turned to civilians as best fitted to build a military railway,
387-536: A service, Pasley approved them (orally), but some of the new work then proved faulty. In 1849 the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway 's Torksey viaduct across the River Trent was not initially accepted by the railway inspector Lintorn Simmons because he was unhappy with its novel (tubular girder) design by John Fowler . This decision (and also the basic premise that a bridge designed by
430-588: A warrant by the chief inspector to that effect. Normally an inspector will use the industry Personal Track Safety (PTS) card. However, inspectors have the right, in reasonable circumstances, not to do so. The body originated in 1840, as a result of the Railway Regulation Act 1840 ('Lord Seymour's Act'), when Inspecting Officers of Railways were first appointed by the Board of Trade (BoT). Britain's railways at that time were private companies ;
473-637: Is the organisation responsible for overseeing safety on Britain 's railways and tramways . It was previously a separate non-departmental public body , but from 1990 to April 2006 it was part of the Health and Safety Executive . It was then transferred to the Office of Rail and Road and ceased to exist by that name in May 2009 when it was renamed the Safety Directorate. However, in summer 2015 its name
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#1732764811536516-419: Is to see that the construction is not such as to transgress those rules and precautions which practice and experience have proved to be necessary for safety. If he were to go beyond this, or if he were to make himself responsible for every novel design, and if he were to attempt to introduce new rules and practices not accepted by the profession, he would be removing from the civil engineer, and taking upon himself
559-411: The 1840 Act required them to report to the BoT all accidents which had caused personal injury: it also gave the inspectorate powers to inspect any railway, and hence from its formation the inspectorate was used to investigate serious railway accidents and report upon them to the BoT. They were tasked with inspecting new lines, and commenting on their suitability for carrying passenger traffic. However,
602-456: The 1860s, in the first instance, accident reports were internal and only published in the accident returns made from time to time by the Board of Trade to Parliament. For fatal accidents, a coroner's inquest would also be held, which inspectors might attend to hear the evidence, to assist the coroner, or to give evidence themselves of what their investigation had found. In the absence of input from
645-518: The BoT's annual report to Parliament. Until the late 1960s HMRI's inspecting officers were all recruited from the Corps of Royal Engineers . In the early years of the inspectorate, their competence to adjudicate on civil engineering structures was questioned by critics, sometimes with good reason. A reorganisation of the inspectorate in November 1846 abolished the post of inspector-general, and led to
688-501: The HSE or as mid- career railway employees from the former British Rail . The function of HMRI was to inspect and approve all new (or modified) railway works and to investigate railway accidents . Accident investigations were inquisitorial , generally not open to the public, and aimed to determine the causes behind the accident (both the immediate cause and contributory factors) and to make recommendations to avoid re-occurrence. Until
731-560: The HSE which is the safety regulator in other non-railway industries. HMRI has powers to enter a railway under section 20 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 . It also issues licensing and drivers' licences under the Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006 (ROGS). HMRI's individuals are drawn from within industry and experienced HSE inspectors. Commonly, individuals are professional engineers or time-served safety professionals. All inspectors are issued
774-471: The Safety Directorate, was created, but the 180 individual inspectors will continue to be known as His Majesty's Railway Inspectors. A summary of government bodies overseeing HM Railway Inspectorate are shown in the table. Several changes reflect wider government re-organisations. Howden rail crash The Howden rail accident in Yorkshire on 7 August 1840 killed five passengers. It occurred when
817-520: The Walton junction. Tyler himself supported the view taken by successive governments: that to take such powers would remove the clarity of existing arrangements, where responsibility for passenger safety lay with the railway companies alone. The death of 80 people on a Sunday school outing in the Armagh rail disaster of 1889 brought a reversal of this policy on the three key issues: within two months of
860-570: The accident Parliament had enacted the Regulation of Railways Act 1889 , which authorised the Board of Trade to require the use of continuous automatic brakes on passenger railways, along with the block system of signalling and the interlocking of all points and signals. This is often taken as the beginning of the modern era in UK rail safety: "the old happy-go-lucky days of railway working" came to an end. The chief inspecting officer from 1916 to 1929
903-428: The accident happened on the 7th of August, and was in the carriage with the persons who were unfortunately killed. This gentleman is of opinion, from observations he made at the time, that the casting was not lashed ; but I do not think it right to press this negative evidence against the positive assertions of the persons whose statements I have given above,although it appears to me entitled to every consideration If
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#1732764811536946-419: The casting had been lashed on to the wagon, clearly it had not been done adequately since the ropes apparently used had chafed through owing to movement of the casting on the wagon: Had the castings been properly secured by chains, ropes, or wood framing, the accident of the 7th of August would not have happened, and it is quite clear that there was great and unpardonable neglect in the parties whose business it
989-416: The casting, or had seen the casting on its wagon before the accident. The railway staff all either asserted that the casting had been lashed to the wagon or said they could not remember one way or the other. Smith however noted: A very respectable civil engineer, whom I met when engaged in the examination of the competing lines of railway to Scotland, acquainted me that he had travelled by the train to which
1032-468: The complete neglect exhibited towards Captain Tyler 's recommendations; and the unfortunate signalman of thirty years' service, who was, I have no doubt, as he thought, doing his duty properly, is the only person to whom any liability attaches; whereas the expenditure of a small sum would have prevented him from inadvertently committing the act for which he will shortly be tried for manslaughter, and have saved
1075-589: The departure of Major-General Charles Pasley , the incumbent, and one of his subordinates. Pasley had come under criticism after the bridges and earthworks of the North British Railway 's line from Edinburgh to Berwick – approved by Pasley in June 1846 – failed to withstand heavy rain in September 1846, with nineteen miles of track being rendered unusable. Temporary works were undertaken to restore
1118-454: The first head of the Railway Inspectorate (his formal job title was "Inspector-General of Railways") found that the casting had been insecurely lashed to the wagon, and was unstable for carrying by train. The casting was part of a weighing machine intended to be used at Hull Station, and itself weighed about 2.5 long tons (2.8 short tons). It measured 12 feet 6.75 inches (3.83 m) by 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m), and since
1161-470: The initial integrity of new and modified works. As a result of the legislative change, which transferred them to the Office of Rail Regulation, the scope of HMRI enforcement no longer covered guided bus, trolleybus and most cable-hauled transport systems. In May 2009 the legal entity known as "HM Railway Inspectorate" ceased to exist when a single rail regulatory body covering both safety and economic issues,
1204-639: The inspectorate had no powers to require changes until the Railway Regulation Act 1842 ('An Act for the better Regulation of Railways and for the Conveyance of Troops') gave the BoT powers to delay opening of new lines if the inspectorate was concerned about "Incompleteness of the Works or permanent Way, or the Insufficiency of the Establishment" for working the line. Their first investigation
1247-460: The inspectorate, inquests rarely went beyond the immediate cause; hence, said one inspector in 1870: "Coroner's inquests, as generally conducted, are singularly ill calculated to ascertain the real causes of railway accidents; but they are supposed to be sometimes serviceable... to the railway companies, in concealing the mismanagement of the company from the public". Coroner's inquests were public and their proceedings and verdicts widely reported in
1290-569: The mid-19th century the Railway Inspectorate advocated in its accident returns and otherwise three safety measures it saw as vital to ensure passenger safety: The Board of Trade got as far and as fast as it could by persuasion, but had no powers to enforce its views on often reluctant railway managements of existing lines. Inspectors disagreed as to whether the board should be given powers to require changes. Yolland's official report on an 1867 accident (in which eight people died at
1333-463: The press. In later years, accident reports were published directly, widely circulated within the railway industry, and reported upon by the press. The HMRI became part of the Department of Transport and remained so until 1990, when it was transferred to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). About this time HMRI expanded its scope and recruited additional staff, Railway Employment Officers. It
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1376-467: The public inquiry, delaying the inquiry until the criminal prosecutions have been completed. The transfer to the HSE was unpopular with many in the industry , and as part of its rail review in 2004 the government announced that the Railway Inspectorate would be transferred from the HSE to merge with the Office of Rail Regulation (now the Office of Rail and Road ). The transfer took place on 2 April 2006. The inspectorate oversaw both operational safety and
1419-493: The public safety. It is true that the practice of the Department is to send one of the inspecting officers to inquire into and report upon the circumstances attending accidents, as in this and the former collision at Walton Junction, and such inquiries are submitted to by the railway companies; but their Lordships are not empowered to make an order for anything to be done. No responsibility appears to attach to any person for
1462-439: The railway company a very large sum of money that must now be paid as compensation for those who suffered. The utility of their Lordships continuing to maintain the present system of making these unauthorized inquiries into the circumstances connected with the accidents which occur on railways may therefore be fairly questioned as a stronger instance of its inutility cannot be cited than what has recently occurred with reference to
1505-413: The sixth carriage held several passengers, some of whom were fatally injured. Smith's report gave the total number of dead as four, but contemporary newspapers reported two separate inquests; one upon three people killed instantly, another upon two who died subsequently of their injuries. The inspector interviewed railway staff involved directly (driver and guard) as well as many others involved in loading
1548-530: The title HMRI . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=HMRI&oldid=1109307610 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages His Majesty%27s Railway Inspectorate Established in 1840, His Majesty's Railway Inspectorate ( HMRI )
1591-399: The wagon was only 10 feet (3.0 m) by 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m), it must have overhung the wagon when being carried. The casting fell from the wagon onto the rails when the train was about 3 ⁄ 4 mile (1.2 km) from Howden station. Since the wagon was just behind the tender, the following passenger carriages were derailed. The first five carriages were empty, but
1634-433: Was Colonel John Wallace Pringle , responsible for investigating many accidents. It was during his tenure, in 1919, that the office became part of the newly created Ministry of Transport. The last chief inspecting officer with a Royal Engineers background, Major Rose, retired in 1988 and he was replaced by an appointee from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) . Since then, inspecting officers have been recruited from
1677-510: Was it not anomalous that it thought military engineers best fitted to inspect new railway lines? The inspectorate's powers were extended and formalised by the Railway Regulation Act 1871 ('An Act to amend the Law respecting the Inspection and Regulation of Railways'). Paragraph 4 extended the power to inspect to give inspectors explicit powers to require the production of persons and papers by
1720-496: Was of the Howden rail crash on 7 August 1840, which had killed five passengers (although the inspector's report said four, three passengers were killed instantly, two dying later of their injuries) as a result of the derailment of a train caused by the fall of a large casting from a wagon on a passenger train. The inspectorate's reports of their accident investigations were made to the BoT alone, but eventually published as part of
1763-660: Was re-established as the safety arm of ORR. The modern HMRI within the Office of Road and Rail (ORR) identifies as "The Railway Inspectorate". HMRI works in tandem with the rest of the ORR, and as such may be consulted on matters effecting industry efficiency. Internally, most of HMRI's inspectors are part of the Railway Safety Directorate (RSD) of the ORR, although some Railway Performance and Planning (RPP) engineers have some more limited powers as warranted HMRI individuals. HMRI's role and powers largely mirror
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1806-437: Was their job to monitor the workplace safety and health of railway employees. After the move to the HSE, (newsworthy) train crash investigations tended to be held as public inquiries presided over by a High Court judge; and the findings published. These inquiries tended to be more adversarial ; with the aim of identifying the guilty parties. In some cases criminal prosecution of these parties has occurred in parallel with
1849-509: Was to attend to such matters at Selby, for it behoved them not only to see that the casting in question was lashed, but that it was secured beyond the possibility of accident. The truck on which the casting was placed had a flush floor, with the exception of a small ledge round the sides and ends ; and therefore as it was on the lashing alone that the safety of the passengers depended, it is evident that proper precautions were not taken in this instance ; indeed, I am given to understand that
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