Transformation of safety culture on the San Antonio service unit of Union Pacific Railroad

Details

• Creators:
  Zuschlag, Michael K. ; Ranney, Joyce M. ; Coplen, Michael K. ; Harnar, Michael A.
• Corporate Creators:
  John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.) ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration. Office of Research and Development
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Train crews
  • Labor unions
  • Management
  • Safety management
  • Safety education
  • Risk assessment
  • Occupational safety
  • Railroad safety
  • Evaluation and assessment
  • Yard operations
  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  DOT-VNTSC-FRA-10-07 ; DOT/FRA/ORD-12/16
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  San Antonio (Texas)
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Federal Railroad Administration. Office of Research and Development
• Abstract:
  The Federal Railroad Administration conducted a pilot demonstration of Clear Signal for Action (CSA), a risk reduction process ; that combines peer-to-peer feedback, continuous improvement, and safety leadership development. An independent formative and ; summative evaluation of the pilot using qualitative and quantitative measures found that CSA can be implemented on the railroad ; despite the historical mistrust between labor and management. It is helpful if the site for CSA is open to change and local and ; external leadership support the process. Over two years, the site with the CSA process experienced improved labor-management ; relations and an approximately 80 percent decrease in at-risk behaviors. The CSA process was associated with a 79 percent ; decrease in engineer decertification rates, and an 81 percent decrease in the rate of derailments and other incidents. Comparison ; locations showed no decreases on these safety measures. Sustaining CSA at a site depends on ongoing cooperation between labor ; and management to effectively resolve sensitive issues related to the CSA implementation, both protecting the integrity of the ; worker’s process and addressing management concerns. The experience of demonstration suggests that CSA can be effective in ; promoting a transformation in the broader organization toward more proactive, nondisciplinary approaches to safety.
  More +
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  RR04A2/HG384
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/9693/dot_9693_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.86 MB]
• Collection(s):
  Volpe Center ; Federal Railroad Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:523958eafb19657cba03e58b4c0f17d0f6f8a26b50ffad263a04d4c553cffa52