Proceedings of the Human Factors Workshop: Improving Railroad Safety ThroughUnderstanding Close Calls

These proceedings document the lessons learned from studying close call best practices in the railroad and airline industries as well as feedback from workshop participants on lessons learned.

Abstract

On April 23 and 24, 2003, the Federal Railroad Administration’s Office of Research and Development held a Human Factors Workshop: “Improving Railroad Safety Through Understanding Close Calls in Baltimore, Maryland.” The purpose of the workshop was to educate the railroad industry on the benefits of understanding events and the challenges to the implementation and success of a reporting system. The workshop provided a forum for participants to discuss issues of concern to the railroad industry. A was defined as “an opportunity to improve safety practices in a situation or incident that has a potential for more serious consequences.” These proceedings document the lessons learned from studying best practices in the railroad and airline industries. Included are summaries of the workshop presentations on lessons learned from existing systems in the airline and railroad industries. The proceedings also include feedback from workshop participants on lessons learned from their own close call experiences, benefits and barriers to implementing a management system, and Planning Committee recommendations for next steps in implementing a system for the railroad industry. Appendices contain supporting documentation.