(Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 21, 2024)
After releasing its final report last week, the NTSB has issued more than 30 safety recommendations to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. These include improving the performance of defect detection systems, modernizing the nationwide tank car fleet carrying certain types of hazardous materials and quickly putting critical real-time information in the hands of emergency responders.
While Norfolk Southern has said that it endorses those changes, the NTSB, an independent investigative agency, can’t force them to put them into place. The board has no power other than the power of persuasion.
As a result, unfulfilled safety recommendations can linger for decades, while the same problems contribute to incident after incident.
Full story: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette