The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a summary of its final board meeting concerning the February 2023 freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
As reported by the NTSB, this summary outlines the key findings and recommendations from the investigation into the Norfolk Southern Railway train 32N derailment and subsequent hazardous materials release.
The incident, which occurred on February 3, 2023, involved 38 derailed mixed freight railcars, including tank cars carrying flammable and combustible hazardous materials.
A fire ignited during the derailment, affecting several tank cars.
Emergency responders evacuated around 2,000 residents within a 1-mile radius.
The derailment was caused by an overheated bearing on a hopper car, leading to the axle’s separation.
The NTSB highlighted several issues with the emergency response.
The initial response did not conform to the Emergency Response Guidebook guidelines for fires involving tank cars with unknown materials.
The state of Ohio’s training requirements for volunteer firefighters were found to be insufficient, resulting in a lack of coordinated efforts among responding agencies.
Additionally, delays in transmitting train consist information to emergency responders increased exposure to hazards.
Emergency responders faced further complications due to the illegibility of railcar placards after fire exposure and the absence of common radio channels for coordination.
The decision to perform a vent and burn on the vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) tank cars was based on misleading information and not all expert opinions were communicated to the incident commander.
The NTSB issued 34 new recommendations, including research on bearing defect detection systems and revising firefighter training standards.
Recommendations were made to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the Association of American Railroads (AAR), the state of Ohio, and other relevant organizations.
Key suggestions include developing a database for bearing failures, improving the robustness of placards on hazardous materials tank cars, and ensuring immediate communication of train consist information to emergency responders.
To prevent similar incidents, the NTSB emphasized the need for federal guidance on when to conduct a vent and burn, updating training and emergency response plans, and requiring inward- and outward-facing recorders on locomotives.
The report also called for the accelerated phase-out of DOT-111 tank cars in hazardous materials service.#
