Citation

Smiley AM. Accid. Anal. Prev. 1990; 22(5): 443-455.

Affiliation

Human Factors North Inc., Toronto, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1990, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

2222707

Abstract

In February of 1986 a head-on collision occurred between a freight train and a passenger train in western Canada killing 23 people and causing over $30 million of damage. A Commission of Inquiry appointed by the Canadian government concluded that human error was the major reason for the collision. This report discusses the factors contributing to the human error: mainly poor work-rest schedules, the monotonous nature of the train driving task, insufficient information about train movements, and the inadequate backup systems in case of human error.