Arkansas Accident Raises Safety Concerns
[Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 10-17-05]
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Hundreds of residents were evacuated from their homes in Texarkana, Ark., after an explosive railroad accident on October 15. A Union Pacific rail car carrying a tank of highly flammable propylene gas exploded after colliding with another train.
"We will attempt to find out the facts that may have caused this accident," said Don Hahs, President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET). The BLET, a division of the Teamsters Rail Conference, represents Union Pacific locomotive engineers. "There are usually a multitude of issues that cause an accident of this magnitude.
"Our members have told us that rail corporations haven't taken the security of their equipment or the safety of their employees seriously. An accident such as this will certainly have our full attention so that the facts can be found and solutions can be implemented in order to avoid future accidents," Hahs said. In September, the Teamsters Rail Conference released a report, "High Alert: Workers Warn of Security Gaps on Nation's Railroads" that details survey responses from over 4,000 rail employees nationwide. The survey revealed a shocking inattention to security by the nation's largest rail corporations, such as Union Pacific. Rail employees have very little, if any, training on the handling of hazardous materials, such as the propylene in the Arkansas accident, and the practice of leaving rail engines and other machinery unlocked is common. The conclusions from the report are that the nation's rail system is vulnerable to terrorist attack and the rail corporations have not taken the safety of their employees or the public seriously.
One week after the release of the High Alert report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its own report on rail security. Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) said of the GAO report, "The Transportation Security Administration is not involving industry stakeholders in their rail security assessments, which has led to an incomplete plan that is well behind schedule. We are in a situation where our individual rail services across the country have no clear understanding of what the best means are of securing their rail systems."
The Teamsters Rail Conference represents over 70,000 rail employees in the United States including members of the BLET and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees.
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