When Diaster Strikes, how does VIA Rail Respond?

Earlier this year, a VIA Rail train derailed their tracks on route from Niagara falls to Toronto; unfortunately as a result, the train dismounted their tracks in the city of Burlington.  I am a Mississauga resident and have traveled many times to Niagara Falls via car; it hits hard when it is so close to home.  Via car is it about an 1 and a half to 2 hour drive and no one would expect that their loved ones would not return home.  Unfortunately this fatal accident left 3 crew members without a life; 75 passengers and 5 crew members were aboard the train when all 6 carts derailed.
Check out VIA's latest press release...
Press Release

In today's blog post I will be assessing VIA's response.  When disaster strikes, how does VIA Rail respond?


I work full-time for a logistics company and recently attended a Health and Safety training seminar.  I am now a proud member of a Joint Health and Safety committee.  During training we learned that safety hazards are all around us; think about it, walking down the street, being exposed to too much sun.  You could get hit by a car, or could be exposing yourself to skin cancer.  In today's market, it is important that we access and identify the hazards, and set control measures in place to prevent hazardous situations.

Numerous conclusions and assumptions have been made about what happened, some say it was the trainee, some say it was due to improper maintenance of the rails and/or the trains.  According to the National Post, the "train was traveling 4 times the safe speed limit". 

Trains are considered one of the safest modes of transportation, VIA rail has to identify what went wrong and how to prevent this for ever happening again.  During my training course, the trainee discussed the importance of communication; communication is imperative to proper safety.  What is the use of an emergency evacuation policy if no one communicates the steps or the importance. Specific training is available for employees who have to communicate with family members about workplace deaths.  VIA Rail would have to ensure that a few of their staff  members are thoroughly trained to deal with situations like this...It is an extremely emotional ordeal, for the family members of the deceased and the staff member communicating this information.  

VIA communicates in today's market by preparing press releases; check out the link above.  Attached is VIA's latest press release addressing this disastrous accident, when delivering bad news businesses need to ensure the following:

1. That all the correct information is gathered, VIA gathers the facts.  This includes the time of day, location and the individuals involved.  What happened?  When did it happen?  Who was involved?  These are all important facts that VIA Rail must be sure to communicate.

2. That it is prepared in a professional manner; by releasing a press release the community stays informed and directly connected to VIA Rail.  Family members and friends have deceased or are injured. VIA must pay homage to the deceased by addressing who they are; life is precious.  Also, it is imperative to express condolences and sympathy for the family members and friends of those involved.

3. That they explain the past, the present and the future.  VIA explains the past by addressing the incident that happened a day prior; the present by addressing the current situation.  There are 3 deceased crew members and 45 passengers injured, 3 of which have serious injuries. The future is explained by assessing the current situation and addressing future plans.  VIA will continue to investigate the situation and place counter measures in place, to ensure this never happens again.

VIA must also consider timing, it is imperative to post this press release ASAP.  VIA Rail can not close their eyes and pretend like nothing happened; they may not know the exact cause but it is imperative to keep today's market informed.  VIA is a trusted brand of safety, and they do not want to let the images posted tarnish the image they have spent time to develop.  VIA has assessed the situation and is looking into what happened; they have been patient and are working in conjunction with the Transportation safety board.  Check out VIA's website and stay tuned for future press release's...Constant communication is important, we can not change the past, but we can help it mold the future.

Sources:

Guffey. M. E., Rhodes, K., Rogin, P. (2008). Business communication: Process and product (6th Canadian ed.) Scarborough, ON: Nelson

National Post. (2012, February 27). Police searching for signs of sabotage in Via Rail train derailment. National Post News. Retrieved from http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/02/27/via-train-crash-investigators-find-black-box-search-for-answers-into-derailment-begins/

VIA Rail Canada (2012, Feb). Update: VIA Rail train accident in Burlington, Ontario. Retrieved from http://www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail/media-room/latest-news/1776/27-february-2012-update-via-rail-train-accident-in-burlington-ontario