Amtrak

1. What are the boundaries of the Amtrak C³RS pilot project?
2. Will relief crews working within the boundaries be covered by the pilot project?
3. What close call events are accepted by C³RS?
4. What close call events are not accepted by C³RS?
5. What should I do if I see a situation that could endanger me or someone else?
6. Are managers allowed to report close calls using C³RS?
7. Are there conditions for receiving protection?
8. Do managers receive protection from discipline?
9. If one employee reports a close call event and receives an accepted report receipt from NASA is the entire crew protected by C³RS?
10. What happens if my close call is rejected by the Peer Review Team (PRT)?
11. How is the information I provide to NASA kept confidential?
12. Why should I share my report with the Peer Review Team?
13. Will Amtrak, the PRT, or FRA see my close call report?
14. Could someone use C³RS to get someone else in trouble?

1. What are the boundaries of the Amtrak C³RS pilot project?
   All Amtrak owned and operated territory are included for the transportation crafts. Amtrak is continuing to expand and is adopting IMOUs for all crafts and operating territories. For further guidance, refer to the IMOUs currently in place.
2. Will relief crews working within the boundaries be covered by the pilot project?
   Yes. All Amtrak crews working within the limits of the pilot project will be covered.
3. What close call events are accepted by C³RS?

   Type of Event	Examples
   We recommend you report any event related to safety.	Unsecure equipment,Train striking a derail that does not result in a derailment.

4. What close call events are not accepted by C³RS?
   • The employee's action or lack of action was intended to damage Amtrak or another entity's operations or equipment or to injure other individuals, or the employee's action or lack of action purposely placed others in danger.
   • The employee's action or lack of action involved a criminal offense.
   • The employee's behavior involved substance abuse or inappropriate use of controlled substances.
   • The event resulted in any type of train accident without regard to monetary damage.
   • The event caused or was alleged to have caused any injury, illness, or medical treatment of any kind to any person involved in the event.
   • The event resulted in an identifiable release of a hazardous material.
5. What should I do if I see a situation that could endanger me or someone else?
   In an emergency contact Amtrak supervision immediately.
6. Are managers allowed to report close calls using C³RS?
   Yes. They can report close calls if the event falls within the scope and doesn't require immediate intervention. If the event is unknown to anyone else, the manager would be able to submit a report and it would remain confidential.
7. Are there conditions for receiving protection?
   Yes. For an employee to receive protection, the following conditions must be met:

   • The employee's action or lack of action was not intended to damage carrier operations, equipment, and/or personnel.
   • The employee submits a formal, written close call report to NASA within three calendar days from the date of the incident.
   • The employee's carrier has an active IMOU with FRA.
8. Do managers receive protection from discipline?
   Yes, provided the event or action is not determined to have intentionally placed others in danger as listed in IMOU Article 7.2.
9. If one employee reports a close call event and receives an accepted report receipt from NASA is the entire crew protected by C³RS?
   Only if crew members are named on the report. Amtrak encourages all employees to report the close call themselves.
10. What happens if my close call is rejected by the Peer Review Team (PRT)?
    Whether or not your report is accepted by the PRT, your secure, de-identified report is important to rail safety and will be entered into the NASA C³RS database.
11. How is the information I provide to NASA kept confidential?
    NASA de-identifies all personal and carrier information from a C³RS report so that the identity of the reporting employee or anyone mentioned in the report cannot be determined. Dates, times, and related information, which could be used to infer an identity, are either generalized or eliminated. Personal information such as names and other identifying information are removed and the report's identification strip is returned to the reporter.
12. Why should I share my report with the Peer Review Team?
    Sharing your report enables the PRT to analyze the close call event and recommend corrective actions to improve safety. Since the PRT has representatives from labor, management, and the FRA who understand Amtrak operations, they can recommend corrective actions tailored to the needs of Amtrak employees. Without your report, the PRT cannot uncover why the event occurred and therefore will not be able to recommend corrective actions to fix the problem.
13. Will Amtrak, the PRT, or FRA see my close call report?
    No. PRT teams receive only de-identified reports from NASA with all personal information and third party references either generalized or removed. Amtrak agrees they will not use the data to identify whoever else might be engaged in the same activity or to discipline and decertify employees for that behavior. The FRA receives an annual C³RS summary report from NASA that does not contain personal or carrier information.
14. Could someone use C³RS to get someone else in trouble?
    No, the information that could identify someone is removed (de-identified) before it can be shared. Even if no names are given, NASA will not share any information that could enable someone to determine the identity of any person submitting the report, or the identity of others referred to in the report.

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