Article from our Principal Engineer, Kenn Beer
There is a lot of discussion in our industry about the capability of Road Safety Auditors. We often hear statements like ‘the bar is too low’ or ‘you have to have at least 10 years experience to be an Auditor’ or ‘they’re letting anyone in to be Auditors’. But it’s important to remember that there is an evolution process for any Road Safety Auditor.
Most jurisdictions accept that people have to start somewhere. They allow professionals that are practicing in the field of road/street design, management, or traffic operation to start their evolution journey by completing an entry level approved Road Safety Audit (RSA) course. These courses predominately cover the process of RSA and build some basic skills in the practice.
But this is just the beginning of the journey. Auditors are then required to be part of Audit teams, gain experience, be mentored by more experienced Auditors, and learn from doing.
While there are differences across jurisdictions in Australia and New Zealand (and across the world), a common thread is the continuing professional development requirements of auditors.
Think back to the start of your career, especially if you’re an engineer like me, you were not given sign-off powers for anything straight out of university. You would have spent years building up industry knowledge, refining skills, understanding process, making mistakes and learning/building on the foundation from your university studies. RSA is no different – people complete a course by proving a base level of knowledge and skills. They then continue to build capability as they practice within the industry.
There’s a glaring global shortage of professionals scrutinising road projects through a safety lens. We need to cultivate a worldwide army of Road Safety Auditors, starting with filling junior positions, providing opportunities for skills development, and minimising entry barriers. Of course, we must ensure that entry-level auditors aren’t tasked with decisions beyond their capabilities, but this is managed through engagement processes, local policies, and industry assurance processes.
Setting overly strict entry barriers into the RSA realm will only lead to fewer auditors, skyrocketing RSA costs, neglected project risks, and ultimately, more lives lost and injuries sustained. Sure, it’s easy for seasoned practitioners to shake their heads at newcomers’ initial shortcomings, but let’s band together as an industry to nurture their growth and pave the way for a flourishing RSA sector.