This paper introduces a scheme for independent safety assessment accreditation within railways, in line with the CENELEC suite of Railway Application standards, as part of the international Engineering Safety Management (iESM) guidance for the worldwide railway industry. The iESM Guidance was developed by the TPD Group and reviewed by an international Working Group of senior practitioners, supported by MTR Corporation Hong Kong. It was presented at IRSC in Vancouver in 2013. It is freely available from www.intesm.org and includes guidance on performing Independent Assessment