How to Fix CSX...

Noel Weaver wrote:It seems to me that every incident on CSX results in more BS, the radio
situation is ridiculous, I hear it down here where there is nowhere near
the traffic as there is in upstate New York.
It is quite obvious that the attitude of CSX with regard to former Conrail
territory is that the trackage and structures were "over maintained".
CSX has had a hard nose attitude toward their operating employees and
that has resulted in poor morale. Poor morale does not increase safety in
the operation.
I was considered a very safe employee by Conrail and I received
recognition for that more than once but I am glad that I am retired and do
not have to deal with CSX.
One does not have to be a genius to know that there are problems on
CSX, all they need to do is to read the comments on here and other
forums from current and former employees. Nobody can say with truth
that these people are all wrong.
Noel Weaver

The current 'culture' at CSX is not what was the 'traditional CSX culture'. It is pure NS culture of employee antagonism that was brought to the company in the form of Tony Ingram and David Brown....the two Senior operational officers of the company who came to CSX from NS.

When broken rails cause derailments, CSX management attempt to blame the crews on 'rough train handling'.

conrail_engineer wrote:
What management calls "safety"...is in fact LIABILITY LIMITATION. You can use the two terms interchangeably; and at CSX the meaning is the same.

A true "safety culture" would not focus on punishing employees for not following directives to the letter while ignoring safety-related issues in the rot of the physical plant (e.g., mudholes, rough tracks at crossings and other locations; dirty/misaimed/obscured signals).

A true "safety culture" would empower, not punish, employees when the rulebook dictated one action and common sense and safety another.

A true "safety culture" would NOT have dumped a pre-instituted rules system that had informative signage; ease of use; awareness of other trains at all times. I'm referring to NORAC and the Conrail dispatching system, which is logically and DEMONSTRABLY "safer" than the ambiguous CSX rules and signage and their dispatch system, which makes it easy to miss critical information in the area (by being on one channel when a train is in trouble on another).

A true "safety culture" would address problems as injuries occured - such as large-stone ballast in walking areas - instead of threatening injured men with their JOBS.

A true "safety culture" would have management ASKING QUESTIONS - and LISTENING to answers - instead of spouting the Company Line, like was done here.

Sorry for the aggressiveness - but the post I quoted could not pass unremarked.

HERE! HERE! BRAVO! My Friend.

I could not have verbalized it better.