About C³RS

C³RS is an FRA-funded demonstration project to improve safety practices. It is based on learning about potentially unsafe conditions, or close call events, that pose the risk of more serious consequences. The C³RS demonstration project is designed to help adapt a confidential reporting system to the needs of the U.S. railroad industry and to evaluate its effectiveness in improving safety. In addition to FRA, stakeholders include labor organizations, railroad carriers, BTS, NASA, and the USDOT Volpe Center.

The MOU is a template developed by the Close Call Steering Committee that describes the core principles and values necessary to successfully implement a confidential reporting system. It also describes the C³RS demonstration project and explains the rights, roles, and responsibilities of project stakeholders. Each demonstration site must develop its own Implementing Memorandum of Understanding (IMOU) that is customized to address local concerns and interests.

The IMOU is a document developed for a specific site and customized according to the model MOU by local labor representatives, management, BTS, NASA, and FRA. It outlines how C³RS works at the site; defines the rights, roles, and responsibilities of all stakeholders; and describes how the system will operate. It is used in conjunction with existing collective bargaining agreements. Each demonstration site must develop its own IMOU that is tailored to the needs of local stakeholders while remaining consistent with the principles and values set forth in the model MOU. The purpose of the IMOU is to obtain full agreement from all parties to cooperate in the C³RS demonstration project.

The confidential reporting system:

• Provides an environment in which railroad employees can voluntarily andconfidentially report close calls without fear of discipline or punishment.
• Accepts close call reports.
• Stores confidential data.
• Analyzes close calls to identify trends, new sources of risk, and corrective actions to address them.
• Distributes reports on trends and other information for use by participating parties.
• Tracks carriers’ corrective action reports to measure the system’s impact on safety.
• Identifies ways to improve the C³RS system’s effectiveness.

Employees who are included in written IMOUs can participate in C³RS. Only eligible employees from carriers participating in the demonstration project will receiveprotection from discipline. Eligible employees and the conditions under which they receive protection are described in the IMOU for each demonstration site. Anyone submitting a report to BTS or NASA will receive confidential treatment.

Currently four: UP’s North Platte Service Unit in Nebraska, CP’s Chicago Area, New Jersey Transit, and Amtrak.

Data are used to improve safety through:

• Learning why reported unsafe events occurred
• Assessing risks and allocating resources to address them
• Taking corrective action to address factors contributing to unsafe events
• Sharing lessons learned within and among sites about why unsafe events occurred and how corrective action was taken to address them

C³RS provides the following benefits:

• The chance to learn what happened in close call incidents industrywide and to use the information to prevent similar or more serious incidents from recurring
• Improved trust and partnerships among FRA, railroads, and labor unions
• Increased efficiency, cost savings, and return on investment from reduced claims and litigation as well as from corrective actions that target systematic solutions shown through the analysis of close calls
• More time to focus on getting into the field and running a safe operation because of fewer investigations
• Safer communities nationwide

Events are not accepted if they:

• Occur outside boundaries indicated in the IMOU
• Result in intentional damage to operations or equipment or injure other individuals
• Involve the deliberate endangerment of others
• Involve criminal offenses or falsified information
• Involve substance abuse or inappropriate use of controlled substances
• Involve reportable accidents/incidents (49 CFR and 225.1), unless listed by a carrier through an exception in the IMOU.
• Involve hazmat release
• Are real-time observations reported to carrier management or are a part of operations testing

All injuries are excluded from C³RS protections but may be reported to BTS or NASA.

No, C³RS reporting does not change existing safety processes.

Information from your close call report will make the work environment safer and healthier for you and your coworkers. The information that you provide will enable your railroad to identify factors that contribute to accidents or injuries and to correct these problems before they result in harm. It will also contribute to improved productivity through reductions in time lost from injuries, decreased damage to railroad property and the environment, and less time required to move customers’ goods. Find out how to report a close call.

No.