(Gatineau, Quebec, September 29, 2010) – Citing "encouraging progress," the Transportation Safety Board of Canada announced today an ambitious public target for uptake of its safety Watchlist recommendations.
"100 per cent implementation", said Board Chair Wendy Tadros. "That's our goal."
The Board-which investigates marine, pipeline, rail, and air accidents-initially released the Watchlist in March, highlighting nine key issues posing the greatest risk to Canada's transportation industry. Underpinning these is a series of 42 safety recommendations-action items aimed at both industry and regulators.
According to Tadros, six months ago, just five of those recommendations had been fully implemented-leaving people, property and the environment still at risk. However, recent meetings with industry and government have yielded numerous improvements, allowing the TSB to give five more recommendations a passing grade.
"We're getting closer to the mark," said Tadros. "We're seeing continued improvements, but there's still a long way to go."
Tadros explained that the TSB waited six months for the public update in order to give government and industry change agents a chance to prove their good intentions.
"It's easy to say you agree with something when it's in the news," she said. "Six months ago, a lot of promises were made, but promises can be tough to keep. Transport Canada has said our recommendations will get the 'highest priority.' Now, along with the commitment of industry, we're confident we can reach the 100 per cent target."
Tadros added that the Watchlist was originally envisioned as a tool to raise awareness and to stimulate action. "That's exactly what we're doing," she said. "Our mandate isn't to make recommendations and then sit and wait for the phone to ring; our mandate is to get things done, to improve transportation safety for all Canadians.
"We applaud those who have stepped up and met us at the table," she added, "but we won't stop there. We are determined and committed to doing all we can. To that end, we plan continued discussions with transportation change agents, and we will continue to report their progress to Canadians."
The TSB is an independent agency that investigates marine, pipeline, railway and aviation transportation occurrences. Its sole aim is the advancement of transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.
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All relevant materials can be found on the TSB website at www.bst-tsb.gc.ca.
For more information, contact:
Media Relations
Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Telephone: 819-994-8053
