NTSB Schedules Roundtable on Hazard Rail Shipments
The July 13 event is planned for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with representatives from the railroad industry, railcar manufacturers and owners, and industry associations attending to discuss the progress of moving to a new and stronger rail tank car, the DOT 117.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced it will host a roundtable discussion in Washington, D.C., on July 13 on the safety of transporting flammable liquids such as crude oil and ethanol by rail. The event is planned for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with representatives from the railroad industry, railcar manufacturers and owners, and industry associations attending to discuss the progress of moving to a new and stronger rail tank car, the DOT 117.
The meeting happens to be set on the same day that OSHA will host a stakeholder meeting in Washington about tree care workers' safety on the job, OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels announced June 28 in his speech at ASSE's Safety 2016 conference.
"We need to make the transportation of these flammable liquids safer," said NTSB Board Member Robert Sumwalt, who will moderate the roundtable. "That includes making sure trains stay on the tracks and having rail tank cars that can keep their product contained in the event of a derailment or crash."
NTSB has investigated nine accidents involving flammable liquids transported by rail during the past five years and has issued eight safety recommendations calling for stronger and safer tank cars; one recommendation asked federal officials to provide updates on the progress of integrating DOT 117 cars into the nation's rail fleet. The issue of improving rail tank car safety is included in NTSB's 2016 Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements.
For more information about the roundtable, visit this page.