Eclipse, Shoddy Safety Measures To Blame For Rail Yard Accident, Union Says

NASHVILLE, TN — The train workers' union is blaming the conjunction of the eclipse and a growing culture emphasizing production over safety for the grisly accident at Nashville's Radnor Yard Monday, when a yardman working on one train was hit by another, cutting off his arm.

In a letter to top CSX officials obtained by NewsChannel 5, Dale Barnett, chairman of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, said response to the injury was delayed because yard managers and tower personnel were not in position in the tower, and were instead outside watching the eclipse.

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The letter says crews were never given safety instructions or directives about lighting during the eclipse and that when the hurt employee's co-workers desperately attempted to radio the yardmasters and management — a plea heard by the train dispatcher — there was no response.

"Why? Because the entire group of managers and yardmasters were outside watching the eclipse," Barnett wrote. "The very managers that have berated crews for wasting 7 minutes checking a switch list or taking 10 extra minutes to return from lunch due to a bathroom break were all outside doing something else and no one was in place to handle any emergencies."

Barnett wrote its a reflection of a culture change at the railroad which is emphasizing production instead of safety, with managers criticizing employees for lunch breaks and water breaks and forcing them to overlook safety checks during their work.

Jacksonville, Fla.-based CSX did not respond to neither Channel 5 nor Patch's request for comment.

Image via Flickr user Nate Beal, used under Creative Commons