Short Line Safety Institute to offer emergency response plan

The Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) has unveiled a transportation emergency response plan (TERP) for short lines.

The TERP is a guidance document for railroads that move hazardous materials. The SLSI's plan is a tool designed to help prepare short-line employees to safely respond to an incident and work with local responders in advance of an emergency.

The plan includes detailed high-resolution maps identifying physical features of a railroad's yard or yards and location of key assets for incident response and emergency access routes within that facility. A "red tab" section provides contact information for key railroad personnel and sensitive receptors located within a one-mile radius of a rail yard. 

"Analysis of safety-culture assessments conducted by SLSI over the past five years has identified the need for incremental training and support for small business railroads that handle hazardous materials," said SLSI Executive Director Tom Murta in a press release.

The development of the TERP was an outgrowth of SLSI's hazardous materials training, he said.