© National Train Dispatcher Safety Assessment
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
© National Train Dispatcher U.S. D epartm ent of Transportation Safety Assessment Federal Railroad Administration 1987— 1988 \ \ Office of Safety July 1990 S E C T I O N I TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1- INTRODUCTION..................................... 1. CHAPTER 2- HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE...........................8. CHAPTER 3- DISPATCHER FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES........ 18. CHAPTER 4- STAFFING........................................26. CHAPTER 5- COMMUNICATIONS..................................30. CHAPTER 6- RULES AND PROCEDURES............................ 44. CHAPTER 7- OPERATIONAL TESTS AND INSPECTIONS............... 50. CHAPTER 8- TRAINING........................................54. CHAPTER 9 - CONCLUSIONS.....................................76. CHAPTER 10- SUMMARY OF CONCERNS AND RECOMMENDATIONS......... 82. EXHIBIT I................................................... i. EXHIBIT II............................................... xxii. CHAPTER 1- INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND The Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1970 vests the Secretary of Transportation with far-reaching authority— including the power to conduct special investigations-^-to promote safety on the nation's railroads. The Secretary has delegated authority over all areas of railroad safety to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Since 1979, FRA has conducted safety assessments of selected railroads to complement its on-going inspection programs with this systematic method of examining each railroad's structural approach to safety management. Safety assessments have proven to be a valuable tool to FRA and the , railroad industry because: o They allow systematic safety problems to be dealt with in context rather than in a piecemeal, case by case manner. o They facilitate dealing with structural issues such as corporate staffing; communications, and accountability, which are not easily addressed during normal on-site inspections. 6 They ensure direct communication between senior FRA and ., carrier officials on all issues of significance. In 1987 FRA deviated from the single railroad system safety assessment concept to conduct a nationwide study of train dispatching offices. FRA chose to initiate this assessment because of: - o Application of new technology which resulted in changes in train control methods. These include computer assisted train dispatching and communications capabilities. o Changes in operating rules and methods of operations. These included the use of radio transmitted mandatory directives in lieu of traditional train orders. o Mergers, consolidations, line spin-offs and other economic factors which have resulted in the consolidation pf train dispatching offices and positions. This has resulted in expanded geographic territorial responsibility on the remaining dispatcher positions. o Concerns that excessive work loads and increased occupational stress on train dispatchers could result from the above mentioned factors. 1 The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-342) amended Section 202 of the Federal Railroad Safety Act of 1970 by adding at the end the following new subsection: "(p)(1) The Secretary shall, within 180 days after the date of the enactment of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 1988, conduct and complete an inquiry into whether training standards are necessary for those involved in dispatching trains. "(2) Upon the completion of such inquiry, the Secretary shall report the results of such inquiry to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate along with the Secretary's recommendations, and if the Secretary recommends that rules, regulations, orders, or standards be issued, the Secretary shall promptly initiate appropriate rulemaking proceedings.". The nationwide safety assessment of train dispatching offices, which was already underway, addressed that subject of inquiry as well as many others. PREVIOUS FRA ACTIVITY In 1971, FRA commissioned the Transportation Systems Center (TSC) to analyze the responsibilities of the railroad train dispatcher. The report of this study, which was entitled "An Analysis of the Job of Railroad Train Dispatcher" was published in 1974. The report summarized: "....the train dispatcher is responsible for the safe and efficient movement of rail traffic over all of his assigned territory. To aid him in this duty, he is provided with an extensive communications network and several special-purpose devices. As techniques and devices for command and control technology have been developed over the years, they have been applied to the various functions of train dispatching a little at a time. However, regardless of the sophistication of their latest dispatching aids, most carriers still retain portions of the earlier systems, thus increasing the heterogeneity of the dispatcher's job as the state-of-art advances. Centralization and consolidation of operations have tended to add to the train dispatcher's workload and to the general noise and confusion in and about his workspace. Thus, the stress and tension identified as aspects of the dispatcher's job at least forty years ago are not notably lessened today..." 2 FRA commissioned TSC to prepare a second report in 1975. This report, entitled "Proposed. Qualification Standards for Selected Railroad Jobs", included information pertaining to train dispatchers. The report detailed both the minimum knowledge requirements and minimum performance requirements for train dispatchers. It summarized the job of train dispatcher as "... responsible for the safe movement of trains within the defined area of a railroad's operating territory. In this capacity the dispatcher plans operations, coordinates the movement of trains and manages the contingencies* as they arise. To accomplish these tasks, the train dispatcher must be familiar with the organization of the railroad, the types of equipment employed in terms of locomotives and rolling stock, the territory over which the railroad operates, train control operations including the maintenance of records, and the railroad's rules and regulations. In the planning of operations, the dispatcher obtains information from superiors, the previous dispatcher on duty and other informational sources on the condition of trains, tracks, and the weather. Routing and scheduling decisions are made to move the traffic in the most expeditious manner." Today, 19 years after FRA commissioned the first study, the conditions described in that summary continue to exist on most railroads. What was then state-of-the-art technology is now part of a system which a railroad may or may not decide to retain. Current technology includes computer dependent traffic control systems, computer systems which use operating rules logic to help regulate the issuance of mandatory directives, and computerized communication systems which route and store radio and telephone calls until connection with the dispatcher is accomplished. SCOPE During the assessment, FRA developed information regarding the following subjects: o Initial and periodic training— including classroom and/or on the job training, training and testing on the carriers' operating rules and instructions, and training on the physical characteristics of the railroad. o The number of operational tests and inspections conducted on train dispatchers by each railroad. This included the number of failures recorded for each office. 3 o The years of experience of each train dispatcher observed during the assessment. o Evaluation of the staffing capacities and practices of each railroad included in the assessment. In addition, FRA inspectors determined compliance with Federal regulations and recordkeeping requirements. The operating practices of each railroad were evaluated by determining what rules and procedures were in effect, and by monitoring the performance of the individual train dispatchers and other railroad employees who interact with them. In all, the assessment encompassed 15 freight, 1 passenger and 4 commuter railroads. FRA audited 125 dispatching offices and observed over 1,000 train dispatchers during the field portion of the assignment. About 50 Operating Practices Inspectors and Specialists from the eight FRA regions participated. All data collected during the assessment was analyzed in FRA's Washington, DC, Headquarters by the Office of Safety staff. The CSX System Control Center in Jacksonville, Florida, was the last of the dispatching offices audited. Because of many significant factors attached to this center the FRA audit team was directed by the Associate Administrator for Safety, and included experts from the Washington, D.C. Office of Safety staff. The Jacksonville audit was conducted jointly by inspectors and specialists with experience in operating practices, signal, communications and computer systems. PERFORMANCE FACTORS Occupational Stress Analysis of the data on occupational stress gathered by FRA Inspectors enuring the assessment disclosed that while there is evidence that stressors exist in the dispatching environment, the agency is currently without the expertise necessary to properly measure and evaluate these forces. Factors observed which may generate stress include frequent or occasional work overloads, ambiguous operating rules and instructions, the substantial safety responsibilities inherent in these positions, and on-time train and maintenance requirements. At some locations, a real or presumed lack of job security was evident. A synopsis of FRA's findings