ROCC employees ignore a rule designed to keep workers safe, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission says
TRANSIT NEWS/ANALYSIS By Stephen Repetski (Editorial Board Alum) March 16, 2021
Employees in Metro’s Rail Operations Control Center (ROCC) have been purposely disregarding a rule meant to keep track workers safe, according to the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission. Rail controllers short-circuited the rule governing how to safely turn track power back on, which the WMSC says could pose a risk to Metro workers and riders.
The safety commission detailed the violations at its last public meeting held on March 2. The rule, modified last fall due to
earlier violations found by the WMSC, governs how ROCC staff are supposed to restore power to the tracks when it’s been turned off for track work, emergencies, or in other situations.
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Power to the tracks can be turned off by one of two methods: supervisory outages, and red tag outages. Under red tag outages, electrical equipment called breakers are physically removed from their housings to prevent circuits from being completed and stopping the flow of electricity. By “racking out” the breakers, Metro personnel can ensure without a doubt that power to that particular section of track cannot be restored because there’s no way for the circuit to be completed.
The rule modification implemented last fall adds a second set of eyes to the power restoration process. When a track crew or rail official gives the ROCC permission to restore power to a section of track, the rail controllers governing that section of railroad are supposed to have a second group (currently contractors) double-check the request and give it their own authorization. Once done, the ROCC coordinates with on-site power personnel to reconnect those breakers previously racked out so that the electrical circuits can be completed. When that’s done, the ROCC is supposed to remotely turn the power back on.
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Stephen Repetski is a Virginia native and has lived in the Fairfax area for over 20 years. He has a BS in Applied Networking and Systems Administration from Rochester Institute of Technology and works in Information Technology. Learning about, discussing, and analyzing transit (especially planes and trains) is a hobby he enjoys.
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