Ron’s Rant #25 – Building a Platform!

My idea from last week was: If we improve the safety culture and promote zero harm as an achievable goal and then align the regulators, railways and public groups behind a goal of quantum change in technology then we can improve safety at rail crossings.  How do we promote this change?

I confess to finding twitter and Instagram, boring and, for the most part, a waste of time. However, there is no doubt that there is a new generation using these forums to link up with other like-minded individuals and forming powerful lobby groups. Perhaps we can channel that networking energy into saving lives at rail crossings. If we can change the method of delivering the message then maybe we can change the culture. Why might this strategy work? Graphic and Gory sells and rail collisions are often horrific. We could use those images to garner attention to problems at rail crossings. On the other hand, we need to consider those that have experienced tragedy at a rail crossing and respect them. Let’s not tweet those images yet.

I learned of a friend’s passing this week. He also worked for a long time in crossing safety. Walter always preached, almost jokingly, that our work in crossing safety was saving souls as well as lives. I must confess that I have hit a virtual wall with my current approach to saving lives at crossings. I do not know how to remove the wall, or otherwise get over or past it. I have been pushing myself as an engineer capable of making safety improvements at crossings, one crossing at a time, but that is not working out; and not one job has come to me in almost a year of putting my name out there. How many years do I have left to have an impact?

The rail companies seem to be stuck in a posture of compliance. The regulator, in Canada anyway, seems to think that fines for violations will improve the culture and there has not been a meeting of the Railway Safety Consultative Committee in decades. I fail to see how the policy will help. And the public and administrators only seem to see the inconvenience and bumps in the road that can loosen a muffler system and cause suspension damages to a vehicle and not the safety risk associated with crossing a railway. So, what is an engineer to do? As Professionals we are obligated to protect the Public yet there is a very substantial barrier or wall between the Valhalla of all safe crossings and today’s crossings which, in many instances, do not comply with new standards and regulations, and still require a tremendous coordinated effort before there will be measurable improvement. And now, with the far too frequent passing of my peers, I fear that I will not live long enough to see that new world.

However, I have had an epiphany about my wall. I will make a military like maneuver, mark it as insurmountable, and avoid it all together. I have decided to work as a lawyer would and advocate for my clients that cannot speak. I will tell stories of everyday people that tragically die or sustain very serious injuries along our railways. I will use twitter and post images on Instagram and continue to write stories for Linked-In. But no longer will these stories be passive or nice. They will have an edge and pose serious questions to the railways and regulators as well as public organizations. These articles will pose real life stories that will hopefully influence the current paradigms of how we approach rail safety. One life lost is too many.

This week we celebrate St Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of St Patrick, which is a celebration in honour of the patron saint of Ireland, St Patrick.  According to Yahoo news, the day of celebration, which marks the day of St Patrick’s death, was originally a religious holiday meant to celebrate the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and made official by the Catholic Church in the early 17th century. Nice story. However, in the spirit of my new writing style, here is the real story: Apparently, St Patrick wasn’t actually Irish. He is believed to have been born in either Scotland or Wales and sold into slavery in Ireland as a child. I’ll bet most of us did not know that. New truths that were not revealed to me before this week. Challenges your old paradigm when hoisting a pint in his name now doesn’t it.

Similarly, I will write powerful stories about rail collisions! There was a recent accident on the Prairies where an elderly couple were struck at a crossing that was only equipped with flashing lights and bells. Well, they were old and probably missed seeing the flashing lights erected at the crossing to warn them. Or perhaps they were conditioned to not see a train as this was a line of railway that had little rail traffic. But how does it change your thinking when I add that the locomotive driver that was operating the train that struck and killed this elderly couple was their son-in-law. I cannot say that this story is true, it is only a story that I heard. But imagine powerful stories like that. There are many of them in the 140-year-old history of the making and maintaining of railways in Canada. Hmmm?

What about the runaway train that resulted (at least in part) from people not following rules, the very same rules that were put in place to prevent such an event from happening. And the regulator has not charged the company or any individuals for violating those rules, even though the violations are seemingly plain to see. I am afraid to tell you that this last story is definitely true. As a young railroader, I was often told that every railway rule was written in blood. There has been too much blood shed. It is time to stop it in its tracks.

We have a long way to go before we reach the goal of zero harm. If you have any questions or comments or want to identify safety concerns about railways, please send them along on LinkedIn or you can comment using the form on my website: RoadRailEng.com

Have a safe week – Safety for Life!