United States Department of Transportation
i
Teamwork in Railroad Operations and Implications for New Technology
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2020-01-01
[PDF-852.01 KB]
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Edition:Technical Report, 2014–2015
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Abstract:This report examines teamwork processes that contribute to railroad operation safety. It integrates findings from previously conducted Cognitive Task Analyses (CTAs) that analyzed the cognitive and collaborative work of dispatchers (Roth, Malsch, and Multer, 2001), roadway workers (Roth and Multer, 2007), locomotive engineers (Roth and Multer, 2009) and freight train conductors (Rosenhand, Roth and Multer, 2012). Examples from these CTAs illustrate how elemental teams (e.g., train crews) as well as distributed teams (e.g., dispatchers, roadway workers, and train crews) engage in informal cooperative activities that increase overall system efficiency, safety, and resilience in the face of unanticipated events. Examples, including an introduction of digital communication technology (e.g., datalink) and Positive Train Control (PTC), are used to illustrate how new technologies can enhance teamwork processes or disrupt them depending on how they are designed and implemented. The results highlight the importance of analyzing teamwork and considering support for teamwork processes as part of human system integration (HSI). It illustrates how CTAs can be used to uncover undocumented informal teamwork processes that contribute to safe and efficient performance, and to guide the development and implementation of new technology to enhance effective teamwork, and avoid disrupting critical team processes that contribute to overall system safety.
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