Following the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, OH, the FRA committed to investigating not only the safety culture at Norfolk Southern, but doing a full investigation of all the major Class I railroads. The blistering Norfolk Southern investigation was completed in August of 2023, and the FRA recently completed its second investigation, this time for Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF).
The FRA conducted interviews with employees, leadership, management and union officials. They also conducted investigations into the safety-critical elements of BNSF and evaluated how BNSF had previously responded to FRA safety recommendations.
The FRA found that BNSF had made some strides in improving its safety culture, but there remain areas needing improvement. Specifically, the FRA found that issues remained in:
- Fostering a mutual trust between employees and the railroad;
- Perceived inconsistency in handling safety concerns;
- Perceived lack of fairness in applying discipline;
- Access to training;
- Systems and accountability; and
- Communication of safety information.
The FRA noted BNSF’s stated policy that safety is its highest priority, and contrasted it with various recent incidents including;
- A BNSF conductor killed while dropping off and picking up railcars due to insufficient safe walking space for the conductor to protect the shove move;
- A BNSF derailment where a tank car containing ethyl alcohol ruptured caused by excessive buffing due to train makeup;
- A derailment that caused evacuation of homes and businesses due to failures on the part of the BNSF;
- An accident caused by track conditions, and one caused by improper application of dynamic braking.
The FRA also noted that BNSF had requested relief from requirements to do period inspections on certain locomotives impacted by severe weather, but that BNSF would not need such relief with proper planning.
Safety culture at a railroad is of paramount importance. As noted by the FRA and the Department of Transportation Safety Council, when the safety culture of a railroad is strong, there are less frequent and less severe accidents.
If you are a railroad worker who has been injured at work, please contact the experienced railroad injury attorneys at Doran & Murphy today.
