By Canadian Press

Reduce uncontrolled movement of rail cars: TSB report on Saskatchewan fatality

Jun 10, 2020 | 2:48 PM

REGINA — A Transportation Safety Board report on a fatality at a Saskatchewan train yard recommends rail companies work with Transport Canada to reduce uncontrolled movement of rail cars.

The safety board also expresses concern about inexperienced workers being paired together.

Two Canadian National employees were performing switching duties at the company’s yard in Melville, Sask., 150 kilometres east of Regina about 6 p.m. on Dec. 22, 2017, when one was fatally injured.

The safety board says the two workers, one a designated foreman and the other a helper, were moving rail cars by letting them roll to their intended track without the use of air brakes.

“Both employees were relatively inexperienced and wore green vests to indicate less than two years of service,” investigator Greg Pilon said in a video statement released with Wednesday’s report. 

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It says the workers were trying to shove three loaded cars up a slight grade by using a remote-controlled locomotive when the cars lost momentum and began rolling backwards.

“Team work is critical but, in this occurrence, the foreman and the helper were working in virtual isolation,” Pilon said.

“No plan was discussed for kicking the cars uphill, nor was there any shared expectation of how this would be performed.”

The investigation found the 26-year-old foreman climbed onto one of the cars to try to stop them from rolling backwards by applying a hand brake.

“But the cars didn’t stop,” said Pilon, adding the brake was ineffective.

The foreman was injured when the cars collided with several stationary ones and she was pinned.

An obituary for Melissa Heins said she grew up on a Manitoba farm, studied culinary arts in Ottawa, but loved her job with CN and her new home of Melville.

“This was a tragic incident and CN wishes to extend its condolences to Melissa’s family, colleagues, and community,” company spokesman Jonathan Abecassis said in a statement.

The safety board said that since the death, CN has reconfigured the track at Melville Yard and prohibited the kicking of cars uphill.

TSB Chair Kathy Fox recommends Transport Canada work with rail companies and labour representatives to find out the underlying causes behind the uncontrolled movement of rail cars while switching and develop regulatory requirements to reduce their frequency.

“The company is supportive of the TSB’s recommendation that the regulator should work with industry and labour representatives regarding uncontrolled movements,” said Abecassis.

Fox also highlighted the issue of crew experience. Because of high turnover in the rail industry over the past few years, it’s not uncommon for the two most junior people to be working together at a yard during evening and night shifts, she said.

Ideally, Fox said the newer employee would work with someone more senior.

“Rail companies are aware that so-called ‘green on green’ pairings of less experienced personnel can be a risk. 

“In this occurrence, although the foreman and the helper were both qualified for their positions, that’s not the same thing as having experience doing the job,” she said

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2020.

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press