And what woul a camera have prevented in that incident - NADA
Correct. But it might give people information to stop the next one.
Talk about missing the big picture.
In cab cameras would not be able to tell how many hand brakes are applied to a train parked at the top of a hill…
Right. Let’s race to the bottom, professor.
Correct. But they can determine that from examining the burned wreckage at the bottom of the hill. The root cause is WHY the proper number of hand brakes weren’t set, WAS the proper brake test done? The video would have shown what the engineer did in the cab, did he test the handbrakes, how long was he out of the cab setting handbrakes. Calling the manager a bad name doesn’t jeopardize the railroad, (and the thousands of people that work for it) running a red block and ramming into an oncoming train does.
99.9999% of the time railroad employees do the right thing. Are you willing to let the .00001% who don’t risk your life or job?
The bottom line is for everybody to get home safe.
The answer is to put the cameras in, then demonstrate to the workforce that they will not be used for witch hunts.
That requires a long term commitment by all levels of management to use the cameras only as an investigative tool.
If they want to “weed weasel,” let them hide in the weeds.
If they discover a problem through “routine” monitoring (like a sleep issue), great. If they can figure out why a crew ran a signal, fantastic.
Inappropriate behaviors should result in non-punitive counselling (“don’t do that again!”), at least for a first offense, and upper levels of management should be monitoring said actions, to ensure that they don’t have a witch hunter of a supervisor.
But the first time a crew gets seriously dinged on some BS “misdeed,” (and I’m not talking a safety issue here), the trust will drop to zero.
Alright, I believe its time for me to weigh in again. Someone brought up that the cameras would only be used only in situations where an incident has occured. Well I can say that where I work at, when they installed cameras all throughout the yard it was promised that they were for security only, and that faded away when they quickly started using them to spy on employee’s and fire them. That’s not security usage. I’m not defending the employee but just stating that by spying on them is not what was promised for.
As for something to hide, there are the good employees and the bad ones, but I don’t want someone looking over my own shoulder. I do my best when I get my orders and I’m left alone to get the job done.
As I have stated before, that engine cab is our spot of privacy in the field. Its where we run the train, handle business, eat food, and sometimes even have to change clothes. How would someone like a camera in the locker room in their gym for example only to be viewed under the terms of an “incident”?
There are already microphones on engines now also.
Just more food for thought.
What a camera is going to tell you is what you already know. There is boredom in the cab alone. There are things that may distract one. Sleep, fatigue, time changes, shift changes, out of turn calls, long layovers or no calls, etc. all cause problems. A camera isn’t going to tell you anything more. So act on what you know are the problems, history has already done your research now propose a real solution and not just take pictures of what you already know. The is an exercise in self flagellation to show the world you are doing something even if it is just marching in place by flapping your mouths.
The down load would tell if the proper release test was made after the hand brakes were set. Down loads have in the past have caught the failure to do proper brake tests (all kinds, not just securement tests) and discipline was given because of the tape. Not just post accident reviews either, some from random reviews.
As far as handling of the train: speed, blowing the horn, etc, all that is already available (some in real time depending on the engine) through the event recorder. And at times those down loads have exonerated an engineer, for example when the engineer did everything right but experienced a break in two.
It has also happened at other times that
[quote user=“jeffhergert”]
The down load would tell if the proper release test was made after the hand brakes were set. Down loads have in the past have caught the failure to do proper brake tests (all kinds, not just securement tests) and discipline was given because of the tape. Not just post accident reviews either, some from random reviews.
As far as handling of the train: speed, blowing the horn, etc, all that is already available (some in real time depending on the engine) through the event recorder. And at times those down loads have exonerated an engineer, for example when the engineer did everything right but experienced a break in two.