This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
10/28/2022
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) this week released its Watchlist 2022 that highlights transportation safety issues that the board wants government regulators and industry stakeholders to address.
The watchlist highlights five rail-related issues: uncontrolled movements; following railway signal indications; fatigue; safety management and regulatory surveillance. The TSB chose those issues as a result of hundreds of investigations and data findings, board officials said in a press release.
Uncontrolled movements of railway equipment can create high-risk situations with catastrophic consequences, especially when carrying dangerous goods. Between 2010 and 2021, the number of uncontrolled movements did not show a downward trend, board officials said.
Train crews have also shown an inability to consistently recognize and follow railway signals, which could result in a collision or derailment. Between 1990 and 2021, TSB investigated 80 incidents that could have been prevented using a physical fail-safe mechanism, like enhanced train control.
Transportation industry companies also have demonstrated ineffective management of worker fatigue and safety, especially when it comes to the handling of hazardous materials by rail, TSB officials said. Those issues pose significant risks to industry safety because the potential degradation of human performance could cause a derailment or collision.
Reduction of associated risks requires profound changes in attitudes and behaviors, both at the management and operational levels, TSB officials said.
Additionally, the watchlist calls on Transport Canada to do a better job in regulating industry compliance on a timely basis. The federal government has not taken enough steps to take appropriate corrective actions in time to prevent potentially dangerous situations.
Previously unveiled every other year, the watchlist will now be extended to every three years to "ensure more meaningful progress can be made by [the] industry and Transport Canada," said TSB Chair Kathy Fox.