Northfolk Southern and unions reach deal on close-call reporting pilot

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NS), the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers – Transportation Division (SMART-TD), in partnership with the US Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), have agreed to take part in a pilot program to test close-call reporting.

Under the one-year Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS) pilot, covered NS employees can report safety concerns with the certainty that such reports will not result in discipline. The data will be anonymized data and reviewed by a joint committee of NS and labour representatives, who, with FRA’s guidance, will identify and implement corrective actions to improve safety.

Participation in this C3RS pilot underscores NS, BLET, and SMART-TD’s shared belief that collaboration and transparency are foundational pillars of an effective safety program. Key goals of the C3RS pilot program include:

• Collecting currently unreported unsafe practices, behaviors, or situations;
• Identifying and implementing corrective actions; and
• Sharing general trends and statistics to enhance railroad safety.

Throughout the program, FRA will provide oversight, guidance, and support to the parties as they analyze safety data and work to effect change.

“FRA’s C3RS program provides a useful industry-wide platform to gather valuable insights from frontline railroad workers when they experience close calls – helping to uncover risks and providing opportunities for railroads and their workers to take actions to prevent serious safety incidents,” said Amit Bose, FRA administrator.

“We appreciate BLET, NS, and SMART-TD’s collaboration on this important partnership, and FRA remains committed to further expanding participation in the C3RS program to advance safety.”

“It should be the goal of everyone who works in the railroad industry to continually improve safety,” said BLET national president Eddie Hall. “Providing a confidential platform to report unsafe practices allows us to harness the power of every worker’s voice.  I hope that this will become a model for other Class I freight railroads.”

“This is huge step forward for the safety of our brothers and sisters at Norfolk Southern,” said SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson. “SMART-TD has been a long-time champion of C3RS, and this new program will allow our members to speak up when they see unsafe conditions without fear of negative repercussions.”