fascinatinghorror

The Amagasaki Derailment

Added 2022-10-25 10:15:01 +0000 UTC

Here are a couple of side notes from this story, including a bit more on "Dayshift Education".

"Dayshift Education"

Some reports of things that went on as part of JR West's re-education program are really quite shocking. It was totally commonplace for drivers to be fined, humiliated, and taken away from their regular work as a punishment for making a small mistake.

But sometimes it could be terrifyingly excessive. One employee was two minutes late for a meeting... and was then subjected to five months of Dayshift Education as a result.

Such extreme responses to such minor infractions had some dire results. In the years between the formation of JR West and the Amagasaki Derailment, seven drivers had attempted suicide after being subject to Dayshift Education.

It's an example of a truly unhealthy corporate culture... and one that should have been ended long before this accident took place.

A more recent incident

Although JR West has really turned things around, one story cropped up recently that was a little worrying. A driver was fined ¥56 (around $0.45) for a one-minute delay in getting to his train.

It's a little worrying that the company would attempt something like this given their history. Fortunately, though, the fine was contested in court and overturned, and JR West unreservedly apologised.

So often, lessons that were very costly to learn are forgotten with time. Hopefully that's something that, as the memory of the Amagasaki crash fades, doesn't happen within JR West.