Progressive Railroading, September 2015:
Short Line Safety Institute to spread the safety culture gospel among small railroads
When it comes to safety, regional and short line managers aim to ensure employees comply with all federal regulations and their respective railroad’s operating rules to help prevent accidents and injuries.
But compliance typically is measured against a safety standard that can’t be changed, so a worker’s behavior must change to comply with a rule or regulation. And since workers sometimes make incorrect decisions or take unnecessary risks, compliance doesn’t always result in the safest of behaviors, American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) officials believe.
Instead, conformance — which is measured against a chosen standard, perhaps influenced by a necessity or best practice — is a better approach, they say. A conformance standard can be changed to prompt or align with optimal behaviors that can help reduce the risk of accidents and injuries.
The ASLRRA is trying to promote the merits of a conformance-driven approach through a Short Line Safety Institute that’s in the early development stages. The institute’s primary mission: to enhance regionals’ and short lines’ safety processes and conformance through voluntary, non-punitive partnerships that help facilitate the best-possible safety culture.
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