ENSURING RAILROAD TANK CAR SAFETY

Congress requested a study of the overall process for ensuring tank car design safety and, more specifically, whether all tank cars carrying hazardous materials should be equipped with special safety devices, known as "head shields", to prevent tank car head (end) punctures. The Department of Transportation, acting through the Federal Railroad Administration, contracted with the Transportation Research Board (TRB) to conduct the study. TRB convened a study committee composed of experts in tank car design, chemical and mechanical engineering, hazardous materials safety, chemical shipping, railroad operation and labor issues, and transportation economics and regulatory policy. The approach of the committee was to analyze (a) the design characteristics of tank cars and what is known about their safety performance, (b) the various government and industry programs in place to ensure tank car design safety, and (c) the criteria used by the Department of Transportation in assigning hazardous materials to tank cars with head protection and other design safety features. This special report contains the committee's findings. It is organized as follows: Executive Summary; (1) Introduction; (2) Tank Car Design and Use Characteristics; (3) Tank Car Regulation and Safety Performance; (4) Government and Industry Activities to Ensure Tank Car Safety; (5) Summary of Findings, Key Issues, and Recommendations; Appendix A - Regulatory Process Improvements in Other Agencies; Appendix B - Glossary; and Study Committee Biographical Information.

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• Record URL:
  http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/153309.aspx
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  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309055180
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Publication Date: 1994

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 162 p.
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Board Special Report
  • Issue Number: 243
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0360-859X
• Publication flags:

  Open Access (libre)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Hazardous materials; Head; Railroad safety; Recommendations; Regulations; Safety hats; Tank cars; Transportation; Trend (Statistics); Vehicle design
• Uncontrolled Terms: Head shields
• Old TRIS Terms: Hazardous materials transportation; Tank car design; Tank car safety
• Subject Areas: Law; Safety and Human Factors; Transportation (General); Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00667604
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309055180
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Oct 6 1994 12:00AM