This safety and cultural assessment report documents FRA’s findings, recommendations, and methodologies resulting from the 60-Day Supplemental Safety & Cultural Assessment of Norfolk Southern Railway (NS). The Department of Transportation announced its intent to perform this assessment on March 7, 2023, in response to NS’s safety performance and the East Palestine, Ohio derailment which occurred on February 3, 2023.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) conducted this Supplemental Safety Assessment of NS between March 15 and May 15, 2023. The Assessment included a review of operational elements and an evaluation of NS’ overall safety culture, focusing on ensuring the railroad is appropriately engaging its employees and management on safety issues to protect NS employees and the communities in which the railroad operates.
One little bitty 5-letter word is used 48 times in this report. Can you guess what that word is?
Hint: I have talked and written about this 5-letter word, and every time I discuss it, I also discuss another critical word: CREDIBILITY.
Yep, it’s TRUST. The 143-page assessment report uses the word TRUST forty-eight times.
Here are the other key points from the Norfolk Southern Safety and Cultural assessment. I would love to be a fly on the wall in the Board Rooms and C-Suites of the other Class 1’s this week. A real sign of cultural maturity is LEARNING from others. This report could be a head start for the other Class 1’s.
