2025 RISSB Rail Safety Awards
The RISSB Rail Safety Awards are designed to recognise and celebrate individual and company safety achievements in the rail industry and promote diverse thinking, excellence and innovation for the betterment of rail.
Established in 2022, RISSB Rail Safety Awards are open to any individual working in the rail industry, or an organisation operating in, or affiliated with, rail in Australia and New Zealand.
The awards winners are announced at an exclusive dinner event for speakers, sponsors, award finalists and conference attendees during the annual RISSB Rail Safety Conference.
We encourage all in the rail industry to participate. Entering the RISSB Rail Safety Awards provides the chance to recognise the contribution of you and your team to the rail industry.
Winners will automatically be entered into the RISSB Safety Excellence category at the ARI Awards in 2025.
Nominations open for 2025
We are now accepting nominations for the 2025 edition of the RISSB Rail Safety Awards.
The finalists of each category will be invited to attend the Rail Safety Conference dinner in Sydney on Tuesday, 13 May 2025* where category winners will be announced.
KEY DATES
Nominations open – Monday, 25 November 2024
Nominations close – Friday, 28 March 2025 (5pm AEDT)
Finalists announced – Wednesday, 16 April 2025
Winners announced – Tuesday, 13 May 2025
AWARD CATEGORIES
The awards categories for this year aim to identify individuals and organisations with a strong commitment to safety and have demonstrated diversity, inclusion, excellence and innovation all for the betterment of rail.
Safety Leadership Program
This award celebrates programs within organisations that promote the overall safety (rail and WHS) capability of the wider organisational team to improve physical and/or psychological safety outcomes. The program must demonstrate innovation and clear safety benefits either for external or internal environments or both.
Frontline Worker Safety Initiative
This award recognises a frontline rail worker (or team) who, in the past 12 months, championed a rail safety initiative or workplace improvement with exemplary safety outcomes for their co-workers. The nomination should include situations in which the worker or team has demonstrated excellence, and where possible include feedback from community or stakeholders.
Community Safety Initiative
The community safety award acknowledges initiatives that deliver an improvement in community rail safety outcomes (e.g. level crossings, trespass or other community safety engagement initiatives). The initiative must demonstrate practical, applicable solutions and community benefits and a commitment to improving safety.
Emerging Leader
This award is for excellence and innovation and will be granted to a new (less than 5 years) rail worker in the rail industry to recognise and encourage their contribution to the improvement of safety. The nomination must demonstrate passion and commitment to the rail industry, outlining excellence achieved and a plan for their future in rail.
Industry Safety Professional of the Year
This award acknowledges the overall achievements of a safety professional in improving the health, safety and wellbeing outcomes within a team or organisation. This nomination must include clear examples of consistent safety outcomes and overall professionalism.
WHO CAN BE NOMINATED
The 2025 Rail Safety Awards are open to any individual working in the rail industry, or an organisation operating in, or affiliated with, rail in Australia and New Zealand.
Read the award categories to see what program or individual is eligible to be nominated. Nominations can be made by the nominee themselves or by another person/party.
For more information about the awards and nominations, download our 2025 RISSB Rail Safety Awards Flyer.
HOW TO NOMINATE
Complete the nomination form and send it to events@rissb.com.au by 5PM AEDT Friday, 25 March 2025.
2024 Rail Safety Awards
We are excited to announce the finalists for the 2024 RISSB Rail Safety Awards. These individuals and organisations are recognised for their extraordinary contributions to the rail industry.
The 18 finalists were chosen from five categories, with winners announced on Tuesday, 30 April 2024 at the Rail Safety Conference awards dinner in Melbourne.
WINNERS
Community Safety
- Mental Health Co-deployment Trial – Queensland Rail
Frontline Worker Safety Initiative
- Sharing ideas to ‘Make a Change’ – ARTC
Emerging Leader
- Jason Zhou – Downer Rail Transit Systems
Safety Leadership Program
- Safe Access for Maintenance Program – Sydney Trains
Industry Safety Professional of the Year
- Ann Tomlinson – Alium Works
FINALISTS
Community Safety
- Mental Health Co-deployment Trial – Queensland Rail
- Using social media to help save lives – ARTC
- Travel with Care – Queensland Rail
Frontline Worker Safety Initiative
- Sharing ideas to ‘Make a Change’ – ARTC
- Tram refurbishment project employee engagement – Downer RTS East Preston
- Trains Services Peer Support Group – Train Driver Recovery Guidebook – Metro Trains Melbourne
- EPG Project Team – Aurizon
- Healthy Minds Support Crew – Queensland Rail
Emerging Leader
- Jason Zhou – Downer Rail Transit Systems
- Brock Tupper – Laing O’Rourke Rail Operations
- Adele Arnup – Rio Tinto
Safety Leadership Program
- Our Safety Focus – Downer Rail Transit Systems
- Re-design of railsafe.org.au and the introduction of a Protection Officer portal – Sydney Trains
- Safe Access for Maintenance Program – Sydney Trains
- Delivering system safety of the under construction CRL project within Auckland Metro – Russell McMullan – City Rail Link, NZ Land Transport Agency, Waka Kotahi
Industry Safety Professional of the Year
- Sarah Lavelle – Laing O’Rourke Rail Operations
- Brian Sheedy – Transport for NSW
- Ann Tomlinson – Alium Works
