Rail defect led to 2014 train derailment in central Sask.: TSB report

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In total, around 650 feet of track was destroyed.

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The TSB investigation determined the incident happened when a “sudden and catastrophic failure” of one of the rails happened under the train, due to an “undetected defect.”

The report notes poor rail surface conditions masked the problem and reduced the effectiveness of visual and ultrasonic inspections.

Including this derailment, the TSB has looked into seven instances in the last decade involving a pre-existing defect that went undetected by ultrasonic testing.

The investigation also identified risk factors related to the transportation of flammable liquids by rail. The damage to the cars at Clair was consistent with failures noted in other TSB investigations, and the board made recommendations to address this as part of the Lac-Mégantic report.

CN CRITICIZED FOR FLARING PRACTICES

The TSB also looked into the close call two workers had with a giant fireball during the emergency response.

The incident, which was caught on video by a volunteer firefighter, happened when CN workers were “flaring,” or igniting, the contents of one of the breached tank cars to burn it off.  The tank was on its side and had released product, which pooled in the soil below.

According to the report, a flash flare occurred when the vapours inside the tank car ignited – sending a large fireball at the workers. Both emergency responders got out of the way and the fire quickly extinguished itself.

The TSB report found the workers were likely fatigued and didn’t consider all the risks involved for this specific circumstance.

CN was also found not to have documented the close call or “proactively share” the information with any outside agencies – showing gaps in the rail company’s reporting and procedures.

The investigation also identified issues with provincial incident commander training, emergency response activity monitoring and post-response follow-up.

After the Clair derailment, the TSB noted CN has improved procedures for flaring tank cars and bolstered documentation requirements during emergency responses.

Additionally, Saskatchewan’s Ministry of the Environment has also provided better training for incident commanders and for setting up proper site monitoring for emergencies involving dangerous goods since the derailment.

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