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Metrolink locomotive cameras lead to probes of 2 engineers
Author: S.S. Sam Taylor
Date: 05-23-2010 - 22:19
This story appears in the Monday, May 24, 2010 print edition
of the Los Angeles Times. It is not business as usual with the
new Metrolink CEO or the Board. I realize that many reading this
may not fully comprehend that operating Metrolink equipment
is a safety critical function and because of the previous
violations of trust, future and current engineers will have
a level of supervision unlike the past.
One thing I am clear on is that Fenton will know every
operating employee by name and has high expectations
that everyone who chooses to be on his team will play
by the rules and will contribute to make Metrolink one
of the best properties to work for in the country.
Los Angeles Times: Monday, May 24, 2010
Metrolink locomotive cameras lead to probes of 2 engineers
One has been barred from the system, the other remains under
investigation. A union says the cameras, meant to monitor
engineer behavior and improve safety, also create problems.
By Rich Connell, Staff Writer
One Metrolink locomotive engineer has been barred from
the regional commuter rail system and another is under
investigation for allegedly trying to block views of new
video surveillance cameras placed in control cabs with
the intention of improving safety.
Agency officials say they are taking the incidents
seriously and want to send a message that tampering
with the system will not be tolerated. The cameras
were designed to monitor train operators after
federal investigators found that an engineer's
actions contributed to the deadly 2008 Chatsworth
disaster.
However, attorneys for the engineers' union allege
that the video cameras are creating a safety hazard
of their own.
Changes to sun visors made to accommodate cameras
have exacerbated glare and made it more difficult
to see locomotive speed indicators, according to
statements prepared by the union in connection
with a federal lawsuit challenging use of the
cameras. The case is being watched as a test of
a key safety reform being sought nationwide.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen
alleges that at times engineers face a dilemma,
choosing between operating trains without being able
to see clearly or trying to block the sun's glare
with newspapers and paper towels.
Sun visors were moved when the cameras were installed,
Metrolink spokeswoman Angela Starr acknowledged. But
the agency does not believe the change created a
problem, she said. Sunglasses are issued to drivers
and the visors are still available, she added.
The investigation of the engineer banned from the
railroad concluded that he was trying to block the
camera's view, she said, first by turning the device
and later by putting a visor in front of the lens.
The actions were not "to block the glare," Starr said.
Union officials declined to comment on the recent cases.
A spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration,
which investigates safety issues, said the agency
is aware of the disciplinary cases but had received no
complaint about possible sun glare hazards related
to the video equipment.
The dispute over the cameras, the first of their
kind in the nation, is one of a series of challenges
confronting Southern California's five-county rail
service as it tries to recast itself as an industry
leader on safety. Among other things, the agency is
testing the country's first crash-resistant commuter
rail cars, with crushable impact zones, while trying
to deliver a highly complex, satellite-assisted
collision avoidance system ahead of the rest of the
nation.
The agency is working to create a fresh start after
several high-profile crashes in recent years, most
notably the Chatsworth collision with a freight
train that left 25 dead and dozens hospitalized.
The National Transportation Safety Board blamed the
crash on a distracted Metrolink engineer who sent and
received text messages just before running a red light.
The video cameras, installed last year, are part of
an effort to increase oversight of train crews, officials
say. The alleged interference with the cameras has not
been widespread, officials stressed. "It's unacceptable,
intolerable," said Metrolink Chief Executive John E.
Fenton. "Our locomotive engineers want to provide
afe service. It is very isolated what has happened."
Three alleged attempts to thwart the cameras involved
one engineer, officials said. That engineer was barred
last week from operating any train on Metrolink-controlled
tracks, Starr said. Still under investigation is a fourth
incident in March, involving a second engineer who
allegedly clipped paper to a visor to block the camera.
Ironically, the actions were captured by the in-cab cameras —
one focused toward the engineer's face and another directed
toward the front windshield from behind the engineer.
"I think the vast majority of our engineers are among the best
in the business," said Metrolink board member Richard Katz.
But "if you're concerned enough about something you're doing"
to tamper with the cameras, he said, "that's a pretty good
indicator to us you're someone we need to watch very carefully."
After Metrolink installed its cameras, the National
Transportation Safety Board called for all of the nation's
passenger trains to carry similar equipment. The Federal
Railroad Administration, which implements safety requirements,
is reviewing the recommendation. But at this point cameras are
not considered a safety appliance subject to either federal
regulation or federal enforcement actions involving tampering,
said FRA spokesman Warren Flatau.
For now, Metrolink engineers, who work for an operating
contractor, Connex Railroad, face disciplinary action
under a contract prohibition on "conduct unbecoming"
an employee, according to Starr.
The union wants an alternative to cameras, such as jamming
non-emergency cellphone calls from control cabs, to be
explored, saying that would be more effective in preventing
accidents. Video surveillance has increased job strain and
chances of error by operators, the union claims.
Members are reluctant to vent frustrations, use
fatigue-reducing exercises or display bladder discomfort
for fear their actions could be misconstrued, the union
says in lawsuit documents. Some engineers have been
kidded, confronted and harassed about conduct caught
by the cameras, the union contends.
It further alleges that the devices infringe on worker rights
and were installed without proper FRA approval. Stress- and
fatigue-reducing exercises are strongly encouraged, and planning
bathroom breaks is part of many safety-critical jobs, Starr said.
Federal approval of the cameras was not needed, she added.
The agency closely controls information captured by the cameras,
she said, and does not have evidence that employees have been
harassed because of behavior captured by them.
The cameras have already proved valuable and are needed because
of lessons drawn from the investigation of the Chatsworth disaster,
Metrolink officials say. "It about enhancing safety," Starr said.
"There's no expectation of privacy in a locomotive cab."
rich.connell@latimes.com
of the Los Angeles Times. It is not business as usual with the
new Metrolink CEO or the Board. I realize that many reading this
may not fully comprehend that operating Metrolink equipment
is a safety critical function and because of the previous
violations of trust, future and current engineers will have
a level of supervision unlike the past.
One thing I am clear on is that Fenton will know every
operating employee by name and has high expectations
that everyone who chooses to be on his team will play
by the rules and will contribute to make Metrolink one
of the best properties to work for in the country.
Los Angeles Times: Monday, May 24, 2010
Metrolink locomotive cameras lead to probes of 2 engineers
One has been barred from the system, the other remains under
investigation. A union says the cameras, meant to monitor
engineer behavior and improve safety, also create problems.
By Rich Connell, Staff Writer
One Metrolink locomotive engineer has been barred from
the regional commuter rail system and another is under
investigation for allegedly trying to block views of new
video surveillance cameras placed in control cabs with
the intention of improving safety.
Agency officials say they are taking the incidents
seriously and want to send a message that tampering
with the system will not be tolerated. The cameras
were designed to monitor train operators after
federal investigators found that an engineer's
actions contributed to the deadly 2008 Chatsworth
disaster.
However, attorneys for the engineers' union allege
that the video cameras are creating a safety hazard
of their own.
Changes to sun visors made to accommodate cameras
have exacerbated glare and made it more difficult
to see locomotive speed indicators, according to
statements prepared by the union in connection
with a federal lawsuit challenging use of the
cameras. The case is being watched as a test of
a key safety reform being sought nationwide.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen
alleges that at times engineers face a dilemma,
choosing between operating trains without being able
to see clearly or trying to block the sun's glare
with newspapers and paper towels.
Sun visors were moved when the cameras were installed,
Metrolink spokeswoman Angela Starr acknowledged. But
the agency does not believe the change created a
problem, she said. Sunglasses are issued to drivers
and the visors are still available, she added.
The investigation of the engineer banned from the
railroad concluded that he was trying to block the
camera's view, she said, first by turning the device
and later by putting a visor in front of the lens.
The actions were not "to block the glare," Starr said.
Union officials declined to comment on the recent cases.
A spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration,
which investigates safety issues, said the agency
is aware of the disciplinary cases but had received no
complaint about possible sun glare hazards related
to the video equipment.
The dispute over the cameras, the first of their
kind in the nation, is one of a series of challenges
confronting Southern California's five-county rail
service as it tries to recast itself as an industry
leader on safety. Among other things, the agency is
testing the country's first crash-resistant commuter
rail cars, with crushable impact zones, while trying
to deliver a highly complex, satellite-assisted
collision avoidance system ahead of the rest of the
nation.
The agency is working to create a fresh start after
several high-profile crashes in recent years, most
notably the Chatsworth collision with a freight
train that left 25 dead and dozens hospitalized.
The National Transportation Safety Board blamed the
crash on a distracted Metrolink engineer who sent and
received text messages just before running a red light.
The video cameras, installed last year, are part of
an effort to increase oversight of train crews, officials
say. The alleged interference with the cameras has not
been widespread, officials stressed. "It's unacceptable,
intolerable," said Metrolink Chief Executive John E.
Fenton. "Our locomotive engineers want to provide
afe service. It is very isolated what has happened."
Three alleged attempts to thwart the cameras involved
one engineer, officials said. That engineer was barred
last week from operating any train on Metrolink-controlled
tracks, Starr said. Still under investigation is a fourth
incident in March, involving a second engineer who
allegedly clipped paper to a visor to block the camera.
Ironically, the actions were captured by the in-cab cameras —
one focused toward the engineer's face and another directed
toward the front windshield from behind the engineer.
"I think the vast majority of our engineers are among the best
in the business," said Metrolink board member Richard Katz.
But "if you're concerned enough about something you're doing"
to tamper with the cameras, he said, "that's a pretty good
indicator to us you're someone we need to watch very carefully."
After Metrolink installed its cameras, the National
Transportation Safety Board called for all of the nation's
passenger trains to carry similar equipment. The Federal
Railroad Administration, which implements safety requirements,
is reviewing the recommendation. But at this point cameras are
not considered a safety appliance subject to either federal
regulation or federal enforcement actions involving tampering,
said FRA spokesman Warren Flatau.
For now, Metrolink engineers, who work for an operating
contractor, Connex Railroad, face disciplinary action
under a contract prohibition on "conduct unbecoming"
an employee, according to Starr.
The union wants an alternative to cameras, such as jamming
non-emergency cellphone calls from control cabs, to be
explored, saying that would be more effective in preventing
accidents. Video surveillance has increased job strain and
chances of error by operators, the union claims.
Members are reluctant to vent frustrations, use
fatigue-reducing exercises or display bladder discomfort
for fear their actions could be misconstrued, the union
says in lawsuit documents. Some engineers have been
kidded, confronted and harassed about conduct caught
by the cameras, the union contends.
It further alleges that the devices infringe on worker rights
and were installed without proper FRA approval. Stress- and
fatigue-reducing exercises are strongly encouraged, and planning
bathroom breaks is part of many safety-critical jobs, Starr said.
Federal approval of the cameras was not needed, she added.
The agency closely controls information captured by the cameras,
she said, and does not have evidence that employees have been
harassed because of behavior captured by them.
The cameras have already proved valuable and are needed because
of lessons drawn from the investigation of the Chatsworth disaster,
Metrolink officials say. "It about enhancing safety," Starr said.
"There's no expectation of privacy in a locomotive cab."
rich.connell@latimes.com
Metrolink locomotive cameras lead to probes of 2 engineers