A time-honored tradition or safety through operational discipline?

There’s something romantic about a railroader carrying a lantern. It dates back to the 1800’s when lanterns were used as kerosene powered signaling devices.

There still may be romance, but this CPKC conductor’s actions are all about safety. He just completed a visual inspection of the switch points to confirm that the switch was properly aligned for the correct track. He walked over to the switch points, illuminated them with his lantern and pointed to confirm the switch was in the right position. Without this check, the locomotive could hit the ground. That’s why the routine is one of the conductor’s duties. Each time. Every time. Regardless of the weather. It’s operational discipline in action. (Note: The Federal Railroad Administration just declared 2024 as the safest year ever for personal safety and system safety citing behaviors like this!)

There is a similar process used by Japan Railways (JR Kyushu) and it originated in the cabs of their locomotives (motors) decades ago. It’s called “point and say.” The crew in the cab have to literally point to an indicator like speed or a signal and say out loud what they see. The other person in the cab does the same. They confirm each other’s observation. Each time. Every time. It’s operational discipline to confirm what is going on inside and outside the cab.

This was so effective in reducing incidents in Japan, that it inspired similar behaviors in airlines.

Toyota Motor Corporation and General Motors use similar methods to prevent collisions between people and powered industrial equipment (PIT). They use a variant of “stop, look, point” to be clear who is moving when pedestrians encounter PIT.

Do you have a culture that supports this level of risk identification and mitigation? Is operational excellence built into how you manage risks?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!