Guideline for Culvert Safety Management

Part B - Qualifications and designating responsible persons

1.1 – Scope

The CSMP should describe the qualification, training, or experience for people who perform functions related to the integrity and safety of culverts.

1.2 – Culvert safety management responsibility

The CSMP should identify what each position involved in the management of culvert safety is responsible and accountable for. This could be done with an organizational chart showing the chain of responsibility.

1.3 – Railway engineer 

A railway engineer is a professional engineer designated by a railway company. They are responsible for and have experience in the following as they apply to their roles and responsibilities in the engineering work to be performed:

  • determining the forces and stresses in culverts and their components
  • prescribing safe loading conditions for culverts
  • prescribing inspection, maintenance, repair, and modification procedures for culverts
  • designing repairs, modifications, replacement, or installation of culverts
  • performing hydrological and hydraulic analysis
  • deciding the extent to which professional engineers and others are directly involved in engineering work
  • supervising and retaining full responsibility for any engineering work that is assigned to technically competent people who are not professional engineers

A railway engineer should be authorized to restrict the operation of traffic over a culvert according to its current condition or state of repair.

1.4 – Culvert inspector

A culvert inspector is designated by a railway company. They can view, measure, report, and record the condition of a culvert, its individual components, and its surroundings. They are under the direct supervision of a railway engineer. The railway company may designate different classes of culvert inspectors based on the types of inspections that they are qualified to perform.

A culvert inspector should be authorized to restrict the operation of traffic over a culvert according to its current condition or state of repair.

1.5 – Designating individuals

The railway company designates railway engineers and culvert inspectors and maintains records related to the designation. The records should include the basis for the designation (qualifications and related experience). The railway company should record designations of people working on their behalf, whether they are railway employees, independent contractors, or consultants.

Section analysis 1.5 – Designation of individuals

If an independent contractor has several people performing the described functions under a contract or other engagement, then one or more people should be designated as responsible for the work performed under that engagement.

An independent contractor may provide engineering services and act as the railway engineer for the railway company. In this case, the CSMP can note that the record of designation is the signature and seal of the responsible professional engineer affixed to the documents. The basis for the designation is their licensure as a professional engineer.