Safety Culture Assessments: Similar for Freight and Commuter Rail Operations, Report Says

The Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) can expand its freight railroad Safety Culture Assessments (SCA) to another industry sector: commuter rail. A recent study shows that its multimethod assessment process, which has been conducted across 90 short lines to date, is transferable.

SLSI defines “safety culture” as “the shared values, actions and behaviors that demonstrate a commitment to safety over competing goals and demands.” It has been conducting “voluntary, non-punitive, confidential” SCAs at short lines and regionals since 2015. SLSI also offers technical assistance for implementing changes and conducts follow-up assessments.

An analysis of the methodology and outcomes of an SCA conducted at a commuter railroad in 2019 has found that the process produced the “same robust result” as an SCA conducted at a freight railroad. The Federal Railroad Administration Office of Research, Technology and Development published the study earlier this month.

The commuter rail SCA only required two notable procedural changes. Additional federal regulations specific to commuter operations had to be evaluated. Also, SLSI assessors rode the trains as passengers as part of their observations. (In freight railroad SCAs, assessors do not ride trains.) Maintenance and mechanical observation procedures remained the same.