London Branch – Modelling risk on the railways and roads – how and why do the approaches differ?
This will be joint in-person and online webinar event kindly hosted by RSSB at their offices in London.
A risk model can do many things: it can provide an overall view of system risk, it can be used to benchmark hazards against each other, it can help build cases for change, and many other things besides. But the purpose a risk model was built for and the data available to support it dictate its structure and its use cases.
In this hybrid event, we will pull back the curtain on two different risk models and will explore the different approaches they use. The presentations will be followed by a Q&A session to allow the audience to understand and learn from the valuable experience of two experts in the field.
RSSB’s Safety Risk Model (SRM) was built in 2001, and it helped to prioritise interventions and risk reduction strategies for the rail industry. It is still being used today as a foundational evidence base to quantify risk, support business cases, and help the rail industry make evidence-based decisions. The next version of the SRM is now under development with enriched data and updated models to meet the needs of a radically transforming rail industry.
National Highways has developed highway safety risk models since 2003. The initial aim was to demonstrate a highway risk assessment process and also support the implementation of Dynamic Hard Shoulder operation on the M42. The M42 version was then adapted to risk assess other forms of smart motorway operation. The latest version provides a tool that can risk assess any type of National Highways road, including future developments, despite the considerable challenge of limited data availability, and the reality of having little influence over drivers.
The event is scheduled to start at 18:00 UK time and will last for about 90 minutes. There will then be a networking/social drinks reception for those attending in-person.
To register for the webinar please click here.
To register for the in-person event please click here. Please only register for the in-person event if there is a high probability that you will be able to attend in person.
Our speakers will be: Ella Dahan – Principal Risk & Safety Intelligence Analyst at RSSB who will present the RSSB Safety Risk Model and James Catmur – Director at JC and Associates who will present the National Highways safety risk models.
Ella is an Industrial Engineer with over 15 years’ experience in advanced data analytics and mathematical modelling. She has worked across multiple sectors including transport, energy, and supply chain, helping clients make data-driven decisions. At RSSB, she leads a team of data analysts and is responsible for a suite of risk models and tools. Ella recently published research that quantified the effect of delays on safety, and she is currently leading the development of the Safety Risk Model.
James is a control engineer with more than 40 years experience of risk assessment in multiple sectors, including chemical, rail and highways. This has involved him in the development of many approaches that are now standard industry practice in these sectors. He became involved with rail risk after 1987, including the early years of the Safety Risk Model, but after 2003 he has focussed on highway risk.
Starts
Thursday, 17th September 2026 at 6:00pm
Ends
Thursday, 17th September 2026 at 7:30pm