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A firefighter walks by rubble at the oil train crash site in Lac-Mégantic, Que., July 14, 2013. As record amounts of crude are moved by rail, an internal memo from Transport Canada warns of the continuing risks of crew fatigue. (Jacques Boissinot/Canadian Press) An internal Transport Canada document warns of the safety risks posted by exhausted crew members on trains, even as Alberta pursues a plan to ratchet up already-booming shipments of oil-by-rail. Federal work rules in the rail industry, dating from 2002, "are not effective in preventing fatigue due to work schedules and do not adequately mitigate the risks of fatigue," says the May 2018 memo. "… fatigue is managed by a patchwork of approaches, most of which are outside TC’s [Transport Canada’s] control." The memo, obtained by CBC News under the Access to Information Act, says current regulations on mandatory work-rest periods in the rail industry fail to account for major advances in the science of fatigue over the last 15 years. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says her government plans to buy new oil tanker cars to move more crude by rail. (CBC) And it notes sleep-related fatigue has been cited by the Transportation Safety Board as […]
