News / US authority comes down hard on Norfolk Southern after Ohio derailment

Photo: Alan Stoddard, Dreamstime.com

US rail safety culture faces renewed criticism and calls for change after a report from the Federal Railroad Administration into a February derailment in Ohio.

The derailment of some 38 Norfolk Southern (NS) carriages in East Palestine led to a probe into the carrier’s practices, which found overall safety culture sufficient, but elements were lacking.

Three key takeaways from the report were a need for NS to improve communication policies, particularly relating to alerts and information flow, to work on building trust with its employees and to look beyond bare minimum on safety standards.

It said: “We recommend NS works to advance its safety culture maturity by setting policies and procedures that look to proactive measures and continuous improvement goals.”

Meanwhile, the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has reached a settlement with NS relating to the impact of the derailment on NS employees. It includes medical surveillance of all affected employees, provision of training for hazardous waste operations and emergency response and OSHA-assessed penalty payments.

OSHA area office director Howard Eberts said: “This agreement will improve safety and health controls in place for NS employees who responded and help educate the rail operator’s employees on the lessons learned, so they are prepared should another emergency occur.

But like the FRA, OSHA pointed to NS’s failure to have developed an emergency response plan, including clear lines of authority, communication and training, as well as site security control and decontamination areas.

OSHA noted that NS had been issued with $49,111 in penalties for four violations relating to work conducted in containing the incident.

Scrutiny followed the derailment after it became clear that 11 of the damaged cars contained chemicals, and fears began to mount that one could explode. A decision was made to vent and burn them in the hope of containing their contents.

This sent a plume of noxious smoke into the air, with homes unhabitable for months and residents reporting recurring symptoms, including nausea, coughing and nosebleeds.

Alongide the changes expected at NS, railroad CSX has announced it also intends to bolster training relating to health and safety practices, following the death of two trainees.