Course Aims
The aim of the course is to provide delegates with the skills and underpinning knowledge required to undertake Controller of Site Safety duties in line with the Controller of Site Safety unit of competence.
Who is this course suitable for?
Anyone aged 18 or over that is required to protect a group working on or near the line. Railway Group Standard GO/RT 3358 (Persons Responsible for Protecting Work On or Near the Line) requires employers to select delegates for this role based on documented processes to assess aptitude and prior experience. A COSS may carry out IWA duties without further training.
Course Objectives
On successful completion of the course the delegate will be able to:
- Demonstrate their ability to correctly interpret relevant parts of the Rule Book and relevant Railway Group Standards when acting as a COSS.
- Demonstrate their understanding and ability to set up a Safe System of Work before any group of staff is allowed to go on or near the line.
Additional Information
Please note this course is a 7.5 day course and is carried out over 7.5 working days ie Monday to Friday plus Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday (am). The course breakdown is shown below.
- Day 1 : PTS Recert (0.5 day) and DCCR Recert (0.5 day)
- Days 2 to 6 inclusive : COSS Initial
- Day 7 : OLP (1 day)
- Day 8 : CRP (0.5 day)
Candidates will undertake their required elements of the COSS Initial course ie. OLP, CRP, DCCR Recert. Candidates must hold DCCR competence in order to do the CRP/LLT part of the course. IWA optional.
Customers must identify which competencies they require at time of booking.
PLEASE NOTE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SENTINEL SCHEME RULES ALL SAFETY CRITICAL TRAINING MUST BE BOOKED AND PAID FOR BY THE PRIMARY SPONSOR
Course Summary
This course is designed to train persons who have been nominated by their line manager/sponsor to enable them to attain the Controller of Site Safety (COSS) competence.
The COSS competence is required to be held by anyone who is required to set up a safe system of work on or near the line for a group (two or more people).
The COSS course will take delegates through the procedures as set out in the Rule Book;
- Handbook 6 - General Duties of an IWA
- Handbook 7 - General duties of a controller of site safety (COSS)
- Handbook 8 - IWA, COSS or PC blocking a line.
- Handbook 9 - IWA or COSS setting up safe systems of work within possessions
- Handbook 10 - Duties of the COSS and person in charge of a hand trolley.
- Handbook 13 - Duties of the person in charge of the siding.
The course includes the importance of using the correct communication protocols and adopting the appropriate behaviours to be able to carry out this role safely and effectively.
Pre-Requisite Requirements – HIGH IMPORTANCE
It is the Sponsors responsibility to ensure candidates booked onto the course are eligible for the training they are to receive and in line with any relevant medical level or restriction that may apply, in accordance with NR/L2/OHS/00124 Competence Specific Fitness Medical Requirements.
Please be aware that candidates will be treated on a training event as if they are at work and they must comply with the relevant medical policy and bring their Sentinel card which will be swiped at the start of the course.
Please note this is a modular course and elements MUST be successfully completed BEFORE continuation with the course, these elements can be failed which will result in the termination of the course event at that time. No monies will be refunded or credited for the course or part thereof due to failing to achieve the required pre-requisite competence(s) to allow overall competence to be awarded
Delegates:
Must be a minimum age of 18 and meet the entry requirements of PTS competence.
Must bring and hold a valid Sentinel Track Safety Card endorsed with PTS & PTS AC and DCCR (CRP LLT can only be awarded if DCCR is held) and meet the requirements of NR/L2/CTM/021 – Competence and Training in Track Safety and not undergoing learning support (green square must be removed prior to training).
Please be advised to recertify the PTS/AC/DCCR, these can only be completed if they are valid or within the 8 week grace period.
To satisfy the PTS Recertification element of the course (Day 1), delegates require a minimum of 4 Entries on the PTS Logbook endorsed by the COSS & 2 management reviews within the last 2 years since previous PTS training. Individual entries must also be signed off by a Line Manager. Please be advised that Work Experience Logbooks not meeting these requirements will result in candidates not being eligible to continue with the course.
(NB: These can be in the form of the actual blue book or Sentinel Swipe-in. Candidates can also bring a Sentinel download provided by their Sponsor clearly showing the individuals details)
In the rare circumstance where an individual may have attended a PTS recertification just prior to attending the COSS Initial training, the requirement for 4 x PTS Logbook entries is still in effect. The individual will not be eligible for COSS Initial training until they have met the PTS recertification requirement.
Meet the medical requirements of Network Rail Standard NR/L2/OHS/00124 Competence Specific Fitness Medical Requirements to medical level 1 or 2 and Network Rail Standard NR/L2/OHS/00120 (Drugs & Alcohol). If medical Level 2 is held, then no IWA comptence can be gained.
Must have sufficient command of English language as detailed in Network Rail Company Specification NR/L2/CTM/021 (Competence & Training in Track Safety).
Please advise of any additional needs within a learning environment, such as Dyslexia, amongst candidates in advance of the course.
Must Bring Photo ID - For British Nationals, one of the following (original hard copy - not electronically): a current and valid branded form of identity token, used for accessing the RMI (Railway Maintained Infrastructure) such as a Sentinel Card; in-date and valid full driving licence; in-date and valid UK Provisional Photo Card Driving Licence; in-date and valid passport, a UK biometric ID Card/Residence Permit (BRP), an Armed Forces Identity Card, a proof of age card recognised under PASS with a unique reference number (this includes the Citizen ID Card), N.I. Electoral Identity Card or a resident permit as per Home Office guidance.
For Non-British Nationals - an in-date and valid passport, Identity Card or Driving Licence from an EU or European Economic Area (EEA) country or a US Passport Card is required (original hard copy - not electronically).
Must bring PPE – hard hat, Orange Hi-Visibility clothing to RIS-3279-TOM standard, Safety boots with full ankle and mid-sole protection and gloves.
Relevant Network Rail Rule Book Modules hand books 1,2,3,6,7,8,9,10,13 optional modules AC/DC (if doing OLP/CRP). We recommend that you revise these modules before attending the course.
Further Information
Following successful completion of the COSS Initial training, candidates will enter into a 4 month probation period whereby the sponsor is responsible for mentoring them. The mentoring must be logged in the COSS Work Experience Log Book for the candidate to be eligible for further assessment. Within this period, the candidate must have undertaken an Initial COSS Assessment with an approved training provider.