Safety assurance for a signalling system based on quality management

摘要

The fast development of the Chinese railway and metro system and the extensive use of modern complex electronic programmable systems in signalling systems have posed a great challenge to the safety of railway. The conventional means of equipment testing and quality management are no longer considered adequate. The development of safety science has helped both the industry and authorities in the area of safety assurance in railway. The developments of safety theories and research have resulted in the creation of a number of European standard, best practice and government regulation. Some of the CENELEC EN standards have been adopted by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and hence these standards have become international standards. Compliance with these standards means international recognition of the product/system. This paper, while giving an overview of the quality management framework, explores how the Chinese rail industry could develop its own safety assurance and certification framework.