• Bombardier Transportation
• Rolls Royce plc
• Network Rail

A core aspect of the AEGIS business is the provision of Independent Safety Assessment (ISA).

AEGIS is an accredited ISA. AEGIS has a dedicated assessment team that have the necessary skills required for the ISA tasks we support. We maintain a comprehensive database detailing the experience and competence of our ISA staff. The database, which is regularly reviewed and assessed was cited as an example of best practice during a recent audit.

AEGIS is the ISA for a number of new procurements that will soon be approved for operation. The approach we adopt to the ISA task is in accordance with ESM Issue 3 (YB3) and associated ISA Guidance Notes.

The ISA work undertaken to date has been cited as meeting both their requirements for a clear and unambiguous statement on the adequacy of a project's safety management process and also on the suitability and sufficiency of the required hazard identification and risk assessment.

Software Safety and the assurance of software is a subject of increasing concern as system control through software becomes evermore widespread. Increasingly software is used to control safety related equipment and systems. Assurance of the safety of such software is paramount. AEGIS has been at the forefront of software assurance within the Railway Industry and has developed a range of tools and processes coupled with in-depth experience and expertise. AEGIS capability in this field ranges from the management of software development, determination of required safety integrity, verification and validation and assessment/audit.

Our engineers can provide SIL compliance to EN61508, EN50128 & RO178B for all levels of safety.

Manufacturers of electrical and electronic equipment or systems must demonstrate that the equipment/ system does not interfere with the electromagnetic spectrum and has an intrinsic level of electromagnetic immunity as mandated by Statutory Instrument No. 2372, 1992 which is the UK implementation of the EC EMC Directive 89/336/EMC.

For the railway environment this is achieved through testing in accordance with the requirements of the EN50121 suite of standards.

AEGIS engineers can carry out tests, analyse results, propose design improvements and prepare test reports or Technical Construction Files (TCFs) in demonstration of compliance with legislative EMC requirements.

Gaining the necessary approval for systems and equipment within permissioning regimes, for example, railways, aviation, nuclear and processing industries, is often costly and difficult without detailed knowledge of the requirements of the approvals process. AEGIS staff, through many years of experience have detailed knowledge of the approvals process which when coupled with detailed engineering expertise ensures that clients are supported throughout their project and provided with timely advice and management leading to approval at optimal cost.

Complementary to approvals management, AEGIS has a wealth of experience in product acceptance. This expertise extends to the management of product acceptance on behalf of manufacturers and suppliers through to detailed conformance testing and assessment of products on behalf of clients. In practical terms AEGIS manages the gaining of product acceptance on behalf of a supplier and acts as product validator on behalf of clients.

High reliability with optimal maintenance is a fundamental requirement of most modern systems. A core aspect of AEGIS business is in Reliability Assessment, Engineering and Management.

Through expertise developed through numerous applications, AEGIS has developed proven methodologies for the investigation of equipment and system reliability and has a wealth of experience in the implementation of cost-effective and timely engineering solutions to allow clients to achieve the high reliability/availability levels sought. This expertise extends from assessments of current reliability, analysis of reliability 'drivers', development of solutions from cost/benefit analysis, detailed design and implementation through to ongoing monitoring/reporting.

The project engineering support offered by AEGIS gives clients greater flexibility in managing their project workload without the time and cost of using additional full time staff. AEGIS can often deploy a number of engineers to assist with general project engineering or more specialist tasks which allows clients to maintain or recover programme deadlines.

All the major project planning packages are supported by AEGIS, including MS Project, Primavera, and Artemis.

So whether you need resources to manage a whole project or simply someone to help get a baseline plan together AEGIS can help.

AEGIS Incident Investigation provides numerous services:

• Thorough and diligent investigation to ensure the complete environment of the incident has been understood, as well as other safety related matters.
• Underlying cause identification - coming to a clear understanding, not just of the immediate cause of incidents, but also their underlying causes
• Risk assessment, management and reduction.
• Recommendations for corrective action - targeted and specific measures which when implemented will prevent repeat incidents.
• Improvement of safety and performance.
• Liaison with all parties involved to achieve a consensus view.

By systematic investigation of today's incidents, tomorrow's major accidents may be prevented.

Audits are always carried out with a practical and pragmatic focus on the purpose of the audit. Compliance with any relevant standards, procurement requirements and best practice is always a key part of the audit. These requirements are always applied in a relevant and appropriate way to the audit being undertaken to ensure that the audit becomes a value adding process. This builds commitment and involvement from the relevant parties and allows early identification of problems which can save time and money on expensive re-working and retrofitting.

AEGIS has a portfolio of Training Courses aimed at giving practical cost-effective coaching to Engineers and Managers. These courses range from introductory modules to in-depth training for more advanced students. Theory is covered in detail but high emphasis is placed on practical examples drawn from actual case studies. All AEGIS trainers are Engineers with many years of practical experience in the subjects taught. A series of mature courses are available at introductory and detailed levels these include System Assurance, Analysis techniques and Safety Engineering and Management. In addition, bespoke courses may be developed to meet client specific needs and can be presented in-house or on-site.

AEGIS staff currently provide rolling stock manufacturers with engineering support in the management of the fleet Design Scrutiny and Engineering Acceptance processes. Their engineers manage the interface between the fleet engineers and the internal or external CCB and VAB organisations.

At present Resco Rail is authorised by Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) to issue certification in respect of Design Scrutiny, Construction, Maintenance and Engineering Acceptance of Locomotives, Multiple Units, Coaching Stock and Freight Vehicles. We are also actively pursuing to extend the scope to On-Track Plant and Road Rail - Rail Mounted Maintenance Machines.

Fundamental to the modern safety case engineering process is an understanding of the interactions between rolling stock and the railway infrastructure. Rolling stock traction and auxiliary systems may be considered as sources of electromagnetic energy. This energy is coupled through several mechanisms to produce interference at a victim system; traditionally signalling system track circuits, communication systems, trainborne electronic systems and susceptible systems neighbouring the railway network.

For each potential victim of interference it is incumbent on the rolling stock manufacturer to demonstrate that an acceptable margin of safety is achieved between the level of electromagnetic emissions and the susceptibility of the victim system.

AEGIS EMC managers and engineers have a detailed knowledge and understanding of the interference mechanisms and susceptibility levels of infrastructure systems and have successfully prepared Infrastructure Compatibility Documents in support of rolling stock compliance with safety case requirements.

AEGIS EMC engineers are experienced in the use of modelling and simulation packages to identify sources of electromagnetic noise and to analyse and optimise design solutions prior to design implementation. AEGIS EE&CS engineers can prepare detailed calculations including:

• Inductive coupling to lineside cables.
• Magnetic flux density calculations to analyse 'close-up' effects.
• Overhead line resonance analysis.
• Longitudinal voltage analysis.
• Psophometric current analysis.