The Efficacy of Behavior-based Safety in the U.s. Railroad Industry: Evidence from Amtrak-chicago

This paper provides an implementation and impact evaluation of Clear Signal for Action (CSA), a railroad industry safety program that combines behavior-based safety with process improvement methods. The CSA project took place in two departments at Chicago’s Amtrak terminal in 2001 to 2002. A corporate downsizing that coincided with much of the study period, as well as methodological issues, made results somewhat uncertain. However, a discernible increase in the prevalence of safe behavior, a reduction in injury rate variability, and improvement in management-worker relations and safety culture justify further research.