This article is a good starting point for the East Palestine derailment. (Gift link, anyone can read.)

The info circulating on social media has been suboptimal, to say the least. Grab a cup of coffee and let's go over everything from vinyl chloride to electronic brake regulations.

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https://www.nytimes.com/article/ohio-train-derailment.html?unlocked_article_code=QAUX9RHyBl1b9fUvtoaowDVNQ7pnrrwPkArV4od2eHAxdIsqcvZ_du1RQBRo3vGRWv9KKJjCRbz1pdFxA4DMMuRrDEHjsdrLTbrI7YtViCmAVWuw9Y-u-AZEByM_eHO1TC74FTlPfvK4xeXnboaKa83KmBMqXil2Ks4M5Cx67bNIDv4AGkYqQTG8qKHa8upQx9JrAraht717TuVyEgAnpdpOuB3K21JY4MXh-70VgPkCUbp6CxfvYDkqeuMjrKhUkOPAS6Ew82vrs1tupq0pEkaNXmwSju_YyTFYWegxNvNVILvuLNy-ZNp06pY2YCcpqnNdcA&smid=url-share

Train Derailment in East Palestine, Ohio: What We Know

When a train derailed in the village of East Palestine on Feb. 3, it set off evacuation orders, a chemical scare and a federal investigation.

The New York Times
@maxkennerly To what degree did over-working contribute to the derailing? I keep thinking about the union activity in the fall and wondering.

@Ear_bele @maxkennerly

It's true they're over-worked and this condition is another risk created by their greedy, negligent management

However, having read the thread, that's an extremely weird question

I'm not sure how, where and when over-worked workers would have had an opportunity to contribute to the regulatory environment or management decisions detailed above

@pleaseclap @maxkennerly I'm not sure either. This derailment did occur within the context of recent events, however, and I was curious if that context was relevant. It may be too early to tell, or there may not be any relation whatsoever.

Either way, the government has several paths for regulation--including via labor--so I don't think it's extremely weird to ask.

@Ear_bele @maxkennerly

I don't think anyone's argument here is "more regulation of any kind = safer"

The argument being made is that specific regulations being relaxed or absent were a factor

And those specific regulations and these specific factors are identifiably not labor