NTSB Urges Increased Safety Requirements for Oil Tank Cars
The National Transportation Safety Board on April 6 urged hazardous material regulators to step up requirements for replacing or retrofitting tank railcars that carry flammable liquids such as crude oil and ethanol with better thermal protection.
In its recommendations, the board called on the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to issue regulations requiring such protections as ceramic thermal blankets and increasing the capacity of pressure relief devices.
“We can’t wait a decade for safer railcars,” NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart said in a statement. “Crude oil rail traffic is increasing exponentially. The industry needs to make this issue a priority and expedite the safety enhancements, otherwise, we continue to put our communities at risk.”
The Board said the current fleet of DOT-111 tank cars rupture too quickly when exposed to a pool fire caused by a derailment or other accident with resulting spillage and ignition. The board also said that its recent investigations of rail tank incidents show that the CPC-1232 tank car is not satisfactory under such conditions.
The Board also called for swiftness in changing the fleet and called for intermediate deadlines and transparent reporting to ensure the tank car fleet is being upgraded as quickly as possible.
