Paul Richards

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT PAUL RICHARDS

I am a Chartered Mechanical Engineer with over twenty years of rail industry experience in engineering consultancy for infrastructure asset management and engineering safety management (ESM). I have worked on many projects that have successfully introduced change to the railway, including multi-disciplinary infrastructure upgrade projects, introduction of new technologies, and initiatives to optimise vehicle-track interaction performance for new and existing train fleets. I have considerable experience of the application of the Common Safety Method for Risk Evaluation and Assessment (CSM-RA) through delivery of CSM-RA submissions for infrastructure change projects and I am currently Assessor and Lead Assessor for Assessment Body (AsBo) submissions. I am skilled at leading, delivering and assessing CSM-RA key documentation including safety plans, hazard records/logs and safety submissions pre- and post-commissioning. I also act as Assessor and Lead Assessor for Approved Body (ApBo) submissions, being familiar with the content and application of the National Technical Specification Notices (NTSNs), in particular Infrastructure (INF) and Persons of Restricted Mobility (PRM). I also have significant experience of the National Technical Rules (NTRs) that provide controls in addition to the NTSNs. I am also knowledgeable on broad aspects of railway infrastructure engineering including the requirements for its installation, renewal and maintenance. I have a sound understanding of railway systems engineering, railway asset data collection and management, and railway vehicle engineering, including the interaction between vehicles and the infrastructure. My strong technical and analytical problem-solving capability means that I can take a dynamic approach to fulfil clients’ needs, and my experience in communicating and influencing effectively at a high level in the rail industry has given me strong stakeholder management skills.