Vent and burn recommendation based on several
factors indicating strong possibility of catastrophic, uncontrolled
explosion threatening health and safety of the community and first
responders
ATLANTA, June 25,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern Corporation
(NYSE: NSC) issued the following statement regarding the
findings of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on the
derailment in East Palestine,
Ohio:
Norfolk Southern appreciates the NTSB's investigation,
recommendations for enhancing rail safety and the acknowledgement
of the steps Norfolk Southern has taken to improve safety. We share
the commitment and over the last 16 months have implemented many
enhancements and technologies to make our railroad even
safer.
Among the NTSB recommendations specific to Norfolk Southern, we
have taken action to enable the immediate availability of train
consist information to first responders and encourage contractors
to share information to make emergency response decisions. In
addition, we have substantially addressed the Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA) recommendations from its 2023 Safety Culture
Assessment. As a result of these actions and others, Norfolk
Southern's mainline accident rate declined 38% last year to
industry leading levels. We will move quickly to compare the NTSB's
recommendations to our current protocols and will implement those
that advance our safety culture.
The NTSB again confirmed our crew's actions reflect the
professionalism and commitment to safety of all Norfolk Southern
operators. Specifically, investigators noted:
- The rail crew operated the train below the track speed limit
and handled the train in an approved manner.
- There were no track defects.
- Once the rail crew was alerted by the wayside detector, they
acted appropriately by immediately beginning to stop the
train.
"We resolved not to wait for the NTSB's final report before
taking decisive action," said John Fleps, Chief Safety Officer
at Norfolk Southern. "We will continue to build on our strong
safety culture through partnership and innovation to be the gold
standard of safety for the rail industry."
Norfolk Southern has:
- Become the first railroad to partner with RapidSOS, a digital
platform that connects devices over 16,000 emergency response
agencies to immediately provide first responders with real-time
access to train consists, train locations, and emergency response
protocols.
- Continued to advocate for phasing out inferior customer-owned
DOT-111 tank cars and imposing a more expedited phaseout timetable
than federal regulations have provided given our role as a common
carrier under which we are obligated to accept DOT-111 tank
cars.
- Launched and implemented Six-Point Safety Plan including:
- Installing 187 additional hot bearing detectors, reducing core
network average distance between detectors to approximately 12
miles;
- Quadrupling acoustic bearing detectors;
- Developing and deploying Digital Train Inspection Portals,
using ultra-high-resolution cameras and machine vision; and
- Investing in next-generation inspection technology.
- Continued to invest significant resources in training first
responders on hazmat response.
- Broke ground on a new regional first responder training center
in East Palestine, Ohio and will
invest $25 million in the new
center.
- Continued to provide classroom and online resources, tabletop
drills, and full-scale exercises to help responders prepare for
incidents through our OAR program.
- Participated in industry efforts to help communities develop
emergency response plans.
- In collaboration with labor unions, become the first Class I
railroad to join the FRA's Confidential Close Call Reporting
System.
- Brought in world-class safety experts, AtkinsRéalis (ANS) to
conduct an independent review and implement a 2-3 year roadmap of
additional safety initiatives.
Additional information is available in Norfolk Southern's 2024
Midyear Report on Safety Accomplishments and Ongoing
Initiatives.
Vent and Burn Recommendation
Norfolk Southern and its expert contractors' only motivation in
recommending the vent and burn to the Unified Command was the
health and safety of the community and first responders.
After carefully considering all alternatives, Norfolk Southern
and its specialist contractors recommended a controlled vent and
burn to the Unified Command as the only option to protect the
community from a potential catastrophic explosion. This
recommendation was developed under guidance from two of only three
specialized firms in the country certified by the Chlorine
Institute to respond to vinyl chloride emergencies.
Several key factors indicated the strong possibility of a
catastrophic, uncontrolled explosion including:
- The tank cars had been damaged in a high-speed derailment and
were exposed to extensive pool fires.
- The pressure relief devices were not working – the behavior of
the pressure relief devices on the affected tank cars indicated
that dangerous pressure was building inside the tank cars without
being properly released.
- The manufacturer's safety guidance warned that vinyl chloride
monomer may polymerize when exposed to the conditions present at
the derailment.
- Other options for safely removing the vinyl chloride monomer
cars from the derailment site (such as rerailing them) were not
possible, due to damage sustained in the derailment and dangerous
conditions on-site.
Norfolk Southern and its contractors received conflicting
information from Oxy Vinyls' personnel as to whether polymerization
was or could be occurring. And Oxy Vinyls' safety data sheet was
clear that polymerization was possible in the circumstances
observed at the derailment.
Norfolk Southern does not agree with the conclusion that it
"withheld" Oxy Vinyls' views from the Unified Command.
Oxy Vinyls had every opportunity to participate in the Unified
Command. They were on scene in the building where the Unified
Command was operating. There was no obstacle to Oxy Vinyls
making their views known to the ultimate decision-makers.
Unified Command was advised that a vent and burn procedure might
be necessary approximately 20 hours before the Unified Command made
the final decision to proceed with the operation. Expert
contractors began necessary preparations in the event a vent and
burn recommendation was adopted.
The vent and burn effectively avoided a potential uncontrolled
explosion. There was no loss of life and contractors took steps to
manage environmental impact.
Vent and Burn Workgroup
Norfolk Southern will convene a Vent and Burn Workgroup to
integrate key learnings for any future scenario where a vent and
burn may be necessary. The Workgroup is being developed
pursuant to the Company's DOJ/EPA Consent Decree, which is
currently awaiting court approval.
Norfolk Southern supports and looks forward to helping improve
Unified Command processes, including through the Vent and Burn
Workgroup. We believe it should be a requirement for stakeholders
to directly voice their concerns to Unified Command.
Committed to East
Palestine
We promised to clean the site safely, thoroughly and with
urgency—and we're a company that keeps its promises. We have made
significant progress with respect to environmental remediation and
completed the removal of impacted soil.
Robust sampling programs, under EPA oversight, at the derailment
site and in the community at large have consistently shown the air
and water around the site are safe.
We have also invested more than $5
million to overhaul the municipal water system with
state-of-the-art technology including new engineering and carbon
filtration systems.
We take our responsibility to East
Palestine and the surrounding community seriously. Since day
one we have followed through on our commitment to doing what's
right to ensure the area recovers and thrives. We continue to
update our progress at NSMakingItRight.com.
About Norfolk Southern
Since 1827, Norfolk Southern
Corporation (NYSE: NSC) and its predecessor companies have safely
moved the goods and materials that drive the U.S. economy. Today,
it operates a customer-centric and operations-driven freight
transportation network. Committed to furthering sustainability,
Norfolk Southern helps its customers avoid approximately 15 million
tons of yearly carbon emissions by shipping via rail. Its dedicated
team members deliver more than 7 million carloads annually, from
agriculture to consumer goods, and Norfolk Southern originates more
automotive traffic than any other Class I Railroad. Norfolk
Southern also has the most extensive intermodal network in the
eastern U.S. It serves a majority of the country's population and
manufacturing base, with connections to every major container port
on the Atlantic coast as well as major ports in the Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes. Learn more by
visiting www.NorfolkSouthern.com.
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SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation