On Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced it is opening a special investigation into rail firm Norfolk Southern, which counts the East Palestine train derailment among its recent woes. The NTSB will investigate the company’s safety practices.
The move comes shortly after a company conductor was killed Tuesday after being struck by a dump truck at an industrial facility in Cleveland. Days earlier, another company train derailed in Springfield, Ohio, though no hazardous materials were onboard.
Norfolk Southern has come under intense scrutiny for the East Palestine derailment, which saw toxic chemicals spilled in the small town. Agency officials such as EPA administrator Michael Regan, politicians such as former president Donald Trump, and environmental activists such as Erin Brockovich have all visited the town. Residents have complained of health issues and fear the worst for the future.
“The NTSB is concerned that several organizational factors may be involved in the accidents, including safety culture,” read the agency’s statement. “The NTSB will conduct an in-depth investigation into the safety practices and culture of the company. At the same time, the company should not wait to improve safety and the NTSB urges it to do so immediately.”
Three company incidents the NTSB mentioned in the statement have resulted in the death of an employee. The agency normally investigates individual incidents, making the launch of a broader, special investigation against Norfolk Southern all the more significant.
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw explained in a statement that the company will cooperate with the NTSB’s investigation.
“I called together every member of our management team this afternoon to emphasize the urgency of finding new solutions. Tomorrow we will hold safety stand-down briefings reaching every employee across our network,” Shaw said.
“Moving forward, we are going to rebuild our safety culture from the ground up. We are going to invest more in safety. This is not who we are, it is not acceptable, and it will not continue,” he added.
Ohio governor Mike DeWine noted last week that he expects the company to cooperate in creating a multimillion-dollar fund that will take care of East Palestine residents for years to come. If they don’t cooperate, legal measures will be taken, DeWine explained.
Shaw is set to face Congress for the first time since the disaster on Thursday. He will testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.