Norfolk Southern rule that railcars be inspected in less than a minute sparks safety concerns

AP Business Writer

Norfolk Southern sparked renewed concerns about flaws being missed during railcar inspections when it told employees this week they should spend no more than a minute looking at each car. But the railroad said the rule simply reflects the current industry standard, and there are no plans for disciplining employees for missing that one-minute target. The Federal Railroad Administration’s Chief Safety Officer Karl Alexy said he is very concerned about defects getting missed if workers are held to that one-minute standard. Regulators were already tracking inspection times closely across the industry before the new announcement from Norfolk Southern, and the Federal Railroad Administration will be watching how the railroad implements it.