The aftermath of a 3 Mar 2010 train collision near Golden included three derailed locomotives, 26 cars, a diesel spill, and a fire caused by a ruptured trackside propane tank.

6 October 2011

Marijuana Cell Phone Use Factors in Train Collision

Golden British Columbia - Marijuana and cell phone use were contributing factors in a 3 Mar 2010 train wreck near Golden involving crew members from Revelstoke.
 
A new Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) report into the collision has found the crew's "situational awareness" was compromised by marijuana and cell phone use, causing them to misread conflicting safety notifications, ultimately missing track-side signals telling them to stop before a controlled intersection.
 
This failure to stop caused their eastbound train No. 300 to collide with the middle of an oncoming train, which was switching over to a parallel track. The crash caused three locomotives and 26 cars to derail, and touched off a fire when a propane tank near the tracks ruptured. It also spilled about 3,260 gallons of diesel and tonnes of potash.
 
Although crews from both trains walked away from the wreck, the engineer on the eastbound train later lost consciousness and was rushed to hospital in Calgary. "It was later determined that the locomotive engineer had been exposed to marijuana, sometime prior to the accident," states the TSB report. "In an attempt to mask this exposure, he drank approximately 10 litres of water shortly after the accident, which resulted in hyponotremia (i.e., water intoxication). The ingestion of water and the delay in alcohol and drug testing likely affected the usefulness of the (drug and alcohol) tests."
 
The report also found the crew of train 300 had used their cell phones multiple times just before the crash, up until "about one minute" before receiving a safety message by a monitor just before the crash.
 
The report found the engineer and conductor were trying to figure out a safety warning that had been electronically relayed to them from a newly-installed but not yet operational "hot box detector." The detector is a trackside piece of equipment that scans the train for overheating wheel bearings. While trying to sort out the erroneous warning with a signal maintainer, they failed to notice trackside signals telling the train to stop. They also did not "positively identify and announce" the stop signal. Eventually, they hit the emergency brakes, but it was too late.
 
The report indentified several risks:
 
·  a lack of a timely post-accident drug and alcohol testing regime;
 
·  poor coordination of the crash site, including no hazard assessment before local firefighters entered the scene;
 
·  "switch heater" propane tanks located too close to the tracks, causing the fire when ruptured;
 
·  deficiencies with the system that failed to protect against signal recognition errors;
 
·  cell phone usage. Despite some rules against their use while operating trains, "not all railway employees working in safety sensitive and safety critical positions understand and accept the risks associated with such distractions, increasing the risk of unsafe train operations," the report states.
 
Results and Actions
 
The TSB report notes CP Rail implemented new, stricter rules regarding the use of personal electronic devices. As of July, 2010, employees are prohibited from using them. They must be turned off and out of sight, unless during breaks, or when the trains are stopped.
 
CP Rail is also planning to implement a new policy in January of 2012 that will provide for "oral fluid" drug testing in addition to existing post-incident drug and alcohol testing procedures.
 
Other safety steps involve stepping up or reinforcing train communication and operating procedures.
 
Aaron Orlando.