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TSB applauds watchlist progress, sets ambitious target

Sept. 29, 2010, Gatineau, Que. - Citing "encouraging progress," the Transportation Safety Board of Canada announced today an ambitious public target for uptake of its safety watchlist recommendations.


September 29, 2010  By Carey Fredericks

“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.”

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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.”

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