Reducing Injuries by 62%: How Saudi Railway Company Set a New Global Standard for Risk Management
Winners of the IIRSM Award for Risk Team of the Year and British Safety Council CEO of the Year
Saudi Railway Company (SAR) has been awarded the 2026 Risk Team of the Year at the IIRSM Awards in London, as well as the British Safety Council’s CEO of the Year, recognising outstanding achievement in safety culture transformation and harm reduction over a three year period. This global recognition reflects not only measurable performance improvement, but a fundamental shift in how risk is understood, led, and managed.
At the centre of this transformation is the Safety, Risk, Governance and Compliance (SRGC) team and their strategic deployment of Safe365.
Why Safe365
SAR selected Safe365 to enable a fundamentally different approach to risk management, one grounded in evidence, culture measurement, and leadership accountability.
Safe365 provided the capability to:
- Quantify safety culture at scale, across departments and contractors
- Turn subjective perceptions into objective, measurable insights
- Link safety performance directly to leadership behaviours and organisational dynamics
- Enable data driven decision making and targeted improvement strategies
This was not just a technology deployment. It was a strategic shift from reactive compliance to proactive, data driven governance.
62%
Reduction in harm (LTIFR)
7%
Increase in safety culture over one year
68%
Reduction in yard collisions
60%+
Reduction in near misses
The Challenge
Moving beyond compliance to address real risk drivers
SAR faced a core challenge common to many large, complex organisations: traditional compliance driven safety systems were not effectively addressing operational risk.
While processes, procedures, and controls were in place, incidents continued to occur. Analysis revealed a deeper issue:
- Risk was being driven by human and cultural factors, not technical failure
- Complacency, production pressure, and competency gaps were key contributors
- As the network became more complex, subcultures established with variable safety performance
Safety was often seen as a separate compliance activity, rather than a core business value
This created a disconnect between effort and outcome. Despite significant investment in safety systems, SAR needed a new approach, one that could identify and act on the true drivers of risk.
The Solution
Phase 1 — Planning & Alignment
SRGC began by aligning leadership around a shared vision: to position SAR as a global leader in railway safety culture.
Senior leaders were engaged through workshops and strategy sessions, ensuring safety was not treated as a competing priority but as integral to operational performance.
This alignment addressed one of the most critical challenges, engaging management across the organisation in their critical role to promote safety practices, by creating visibility and accountability at the highest levels.
Phase 2 — Measurement
Using Safe365, SAR conducted organisation wide safety culture assessments, capturing:
- Behavioural patterns
- Leadership engagement levels
- Workforce perceptions
- Cultural maturity indicators
Following these assessments, for the first time, SAR could quantify:
- The impact of production pressure on decision making
- The role of supervision and leadership in risk exposure
- Competency gaps influencing frontline and management behaviour
Phase 3 — Insights and benchmarking
Safe365 transformed data into actionable insight. Through intuitive dashboards and benchmarking, SRGC enabled the organisation to:
- Compare performance across business units
- Identify “leaders and laggards” in safety behaviour
- Prioritise interventions based on real risk exposure, not assumptions
SAR also benchmarked its safety culture maturity internationally, providing an external reference point and reinforcing ambition.
Phase 4 — Improvement
This evidence based approach shifted conversations from opinion to data driven strategy for SAR’s safety team, and tailored safety improvement plans for each individual business unit.
SRGC embedded continuous improvement through structured initiatives, including:
Leadership and accountability
- Safety performance became a standing agenda item at all levels
- Leadership expectations were clearly defined and measured
Just culture and open reporting
- A shift from blame to learning
- Encouraged reporting of near misses and hazards
- Engaging managers on how to effectively manage reports and worker concerns
Competency development
- Enabled targeted coaching for supervisors and teams
- Focused on improving human reliability, not just compliance
- Proactive business partnering by the SRGC team to engage and develop management
Cross functional collaboration
- Integration across safety, operations, HR, and technical teams
- Ensured risk management was practical, relevant, and owned by the business
The Results
Measurable culture shift and harm reduction
The impact of the Safe365 led transformation is both quantifiable and sustained.
Safety culture improvement
Safety Culture Index increased from 50% to 57% (2024 to 2025)
Surpassed the international median of 51%
Reduction in harm
Injuries reduced by approximately 62% (LTIFR)
Near misses reduced by over 60%
Yard collisions reduced by 68%
Behavioural and cultural shift
Significant increase in reporting and workforce engagement
Transition to a learning focused, open safety culture
Improved alignment between safety and productivity goals
Leadership impact
Safety embedded into business performance discussions
Clear accountability from boardroom to frontline
Leaders equipped with data to drive targeted action
These results directly contributed to SAR’s recognition at the IIRSM Awards, demonstrating not just improvement, but industry leadership.
What this means for your organisation
SAR’s journey provides a clear blueprint for organisations looking to move beyond compliance and achieve meaningful risk reduction.
For Executives
Visibility of real risk drivers, not just lag indicators
Safety aligned with strategic business outcomes, treated as integral to operational performance rather than a competing priority
Culture led through evidence, not assumption, with accountability visible from boardroom to frontline
For Safety Leaders
A shift from reporting incidents to preventing them, underpinned by open reporting and a learning focused culture
Culture measurement that drives targeted interventions, prioritised by real risk exposure across business units
Demonstrable return on safety investment, evidenced by a 62 percent reduction in injuries and a 68 percent reduction in yard collisions
For Operations Leaders
Safety integrated into daily decision making, with performance a standing agenda item at all levels
Teams equipped to manage risk proactively, through targeted coaching for supervisors and frontline teams
Safety and operational performance improved simultaneously, with better alignment between safety and productivity goals
ABOUT SAUDI RAILWAY COMPANY (SAR)
Saudi Railway Company is a leading railway operator in the Kingdom, committed to operational excellence, safety, and innovation. Through strategic leadership and a focus on culture, SAR continues to set benchmarks for safety performance both regionally and globally.
