The use of the risk matrix method for assessing the risk of implementing rail freight services

The article presents a proposal for the use of a risk matrix for assessing the safety of the implementation of rail freight transport. The starting point for considerations related to risk assessment is the conditions arising from the business need and the obligation of entities operating in the railway market to ensure the safety of the implementation of freight tasks. The authors presented selected literature within the framework of the issues discussed. The layers of risk assessment, which include the analytical layer, the decision layer and the elimination layer, indicate the possibility of considering the problem of risk assessment from different perspectives. The identification of direct causes and consequences of undesirable events during the implementation of rail freight transport was also made. The article describes one of the methods of risk management which is the risk matrix. The authors stressed that the construction of a risk matrix should be preceded by an analysis of the factors that affect the safety of rail transportation. This is possible by determining their probability of occurrence and setting values for the consequences of adverse events. The article divides the assignment of levels of adverse events to a five-level risk matrix (slight, low, medium, high, very high). Also presented is a case study considering the risk assessment of rail freight transport in Poland using the risk matrix method for railway accidents in the area of railway lines. Thanks to the development of the risk matrix, a risk management strategy can be used. The last part of the article is a summary, which highlights the possibility of applying the presented approach to risk assessment among entities operating in the rail transport market.

