Freight railroad BNSF’s efforts to enhance safety consistently might not always be effectively communicated to front-line workers, who may hesitate to report safety concerns fearing repercussions, as per a newly published evaluation from regulators. The Federal Railroad Administration’s assessment of BNSF’s safety culture noted lingering challenges within the company that have been persistent throughout the industry for years.
This assessment marks the second report the agency has generated post the tragic Norfolk Southern derailment incident in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023, aiming to examine all major railroads. The evaluation on BNSF is more favorable compared to last summer’s review of Norfolk Southern, which criticized executives for merely meeting the minimum safety standards.
While BNSF’s top management consistently emphasizes safety as a fundamental value, lower-level managers sometimes prioritize train operations over safety protocols, causing confusion among front-line workers about the company’s actual safety objectives, the agency highlighted.
Regulators reiterated the importance for BNSF and other major freight railroads to engage in the confidential federal safety reporting hotline allowing workers to report concerns without fear of retaliation. Despite the positive step of initiating a pilot program with the hotline for dispatchers, the FRA underscored the necessity for all railroad workers to have access to this reporting mechanism. The industry has a track record of penalizing employees who raise numerous safety issues, as it can lead to delays for repairs, impacting train schedules.
Following the East Palestine incident, all major railroads committed to adopting the federal reporting system, yet solely BNSF and Norfolk Southern have rolled out limited pilot programs so far. The FRA emphasized that effective reporting systems play a pivotal role in enhancing safety by identifying risks and enabling preventative measures to avert recurring safety incidents.
BNSF, one of the largest U.S. railroads whose tracks extend across the Western United States, is based in Fort Worth, Texas, and is under the ownership of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate in Omaha, Nebraska. The company had no immediate comment following the release of the report on Wednesday.
