Train accident highlights need for stricter alcohol consumption regs, Canada safety board says

A head-on collision between two CN trains in September 2021 was due in part to a rail traffic controller's (RTC) consumption of alcohol sometime before he reported to work on the day of the accident, according to a report by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB).

The situation highlights the need for regulations that prohibit railway employees from consuming alcohol for a certain time period before reporting for duty, the board suggests in its investigative report.

According to the TSB, the accident and subsequent derailment occurred Sept. 2, 2021, when a CN intermodal train was traveling west on the north main track of the Kingston subdivision where a hand-operated switch provides access to an industrial spur track in the town of Prescott, Ontario. The train was to pass the switch and continue on the north main track to Toronto. However, having received permission from the RTC to enter the north main track, the crew of another CN train, an industrial switching assignment, had reversed the switch to the industrial spur.

Approaching the switch, the crew of the intermodal train realized that it was lined against them and placed the train into emergency, but the train was unable to stop. The two trains then collided head-on. As a result, four locomotives (two on each train) derailed and sustained significant impact damage.

Two crew members sustained minor injuries, and one crew member was admitted to hospital with serious injuries.

Per CN policy, employees have to submit to mandatory breath alcohol testing after an accident. The chief medical officer of the testing company found that the RTC had been drinking alcohol either at the beginning of his shift or had significant alcohol intake the early morning of or the night before work. The investigation found that the RTC's performance and level of attention were likely affected by the persistent effects of alcohol consumption.

Although railroads have their own zero-tolerance workplace policies regarding alcohol and drug use, there is no prescribed period of time under Canada's Railway Safety Act that prohibits railway employees from consuming alcohol before reporting for work, the TSB report noted. Instead, the workers are required to self-assess to determine if they've recovered enough from the effects of alcohol to be fit for duty.

"As the [blood alcohol concentration] of individuals decreases, there is a risk that they may not accurately self-assess, and therefore could subjectively perceive that they have recovered despite the effects of alcohol on cognitive performance persisting," the TSB report states.

By comparison, Canada's aviation regulations require that aircraft crew members are not allowed to work within 12 hours after consuming alcohol; and traffic controllers or flight service specialists cannot work within 8 hours after drinking alcohol, according to the report.

"Therefore, given that no time period prohibiting the consumption of alcohol by railway employees in safety-critical positions in Canada is required, the board is concerned that such employees could perform their duties while under the influence of alcohol," the TSB report states.

To read the entire report, click here.