Transformation of Safety Culture on the San Antonio Service Unit of Union Pacific Railroad

The Federal Railroad Administration conducted a pilot demonstration of Clear Signal for Action (CSA), a risk reduction process that combines peer-to-peer feedback, continuous improvement, and safety leadership development. An independent formative and summative evaluation of the pilot using qualitative and quantitative measures found that CSA can be implemented on the railroad despite the historical mistrust between labor and management. It is helpful if the site for CSA is open to change and local and external leadership support the process. Over two years, the site with the CSA process experienced improved labor-management relations and an approximately 80 percent decrease in at-risk behaviors. The CSA process was associated with a 79 percent decrease in engineer decertification rates, and an 81 percent decrease in the rate of derailments and other incidents. Comparison locations showed no decreases on these safety measures. Sustaining CSA at a site depends on ongoing cooperation between labor and management to effectively resolve sensitive issues related to the CSA implementation, both protecting the integrity of the worker’s process and addressing management concerns. The experience of demonstration suggests that CSA can be effective in promoting a transformation in the broader organization toward more proactive, nondisciplinary approaches to safety.

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• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/9693
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://www.fra.dot.gov/Elib/Document/2711
• Corporate Authors:

  Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

  Cambridge, MA  United States  02142

  Federal Railroad Administration

  Office of Research and Development, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Zuschlag, Michael K
  • Ranney, Joyce M
  • Coplen, Michael K
  • Harnar, Michael A
• Publication Date: 2012-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 211p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Labor relations; Leadership; Organizational effectiveness; Railroad safety; Risk management; Risk taking; Safety programs
• Identifier Terms: Union Pacific Railroad
• Geographic Terms: San Antonio (Texas)
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; I10: Economics and Administration; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01470567
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT-VNTSC-FRA-10-07, DOT/FRA/ORD-12/16, Funding numbers: RR04A2 HG384
• Files: NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 24 2013 3:47PM