1. Disaster Preventions in the Time of Emergency and the Social Role and Responsibility of the Railway Workers
East Japan Railway Workers Union Planning Director Akinori Yanagi

2. Damages by the Great East Japan Earthquake (Coastlines)2

3. Damages by the Great East Japan Earthquake (Buildings)3

4. 14:46 March 11th 2011 Magnitude 9.0 Earthquake hits
Victims approximately 19,000
Fukushima accident still continues
【Damages in JR East Company Areas】
Dead JR East Company 5 persons
Affiliated Companies 7 persons
Still Missing 2 persons
More than 1,100 cases of total or partial destruction and washed out houses 4

5. Damages of Railways (Shinkansen)
Tohoku Shinkansen
　Sendai-Furukawa 5

6. Furukawa-Kurikoma Kogen
Damages of Railways (Shinkansen)
Tohoku Shinkansen
Furukawa-Kurikoma Kogen 6

7. Ishinomaki Line near Onagawa Station
Damages of Railways 7 local lines nearly total collapse
Ishinomaki Line near Onagawa Station
Ishinomaki Line

8. Yamada Line Rikuchuyamada
Damages of Railways 7 local lines nearly total collapse
Yamada Line　Rikuchuyamada
Yamada Line 8

9. Rikuzenyahagi-Takekoma
Damages of Railways 7 local lines nearly total collapse
Ofunato Line
Rikuzenyahagi-Takekoma
Ofutona Line 9

10. Damages of Railways 7 local lines nearly total collapse
Senseki Line
Senseki Line Nobiru 10

11. Damages of Railways 7 local lines and Shinkanse nearly total collapse
No victims on train in service, this is “Miracle”
Surveys to collect experiences from union members
Miracle was not made accidentally, it was made inevitally
Preparation in both software and hardware (education, training and manuals)
There were many situations beyond expectations of education, training and manuals
⇒JR workers made appropriate decisions on sites 11

12. Why did they make such decisions?
We need to pass on the lessons learned from the disaster to the next generations. It is important to establish the philosophy of railway safety.
We carried out a survey to the union members who experienced the earthquake.
Method: Survey 25% of total union members
　　　　　　　　　・・・11,827 distributed and 11,207 returned 94.8%
　　　　　 Tape recorded ・・・54 members were tape recorded
　　　　　 Free writing・・・ Opinions from about 500 members
This Presentation talks about anti-disaster measures, education and training for JR East workers who answered in the survey. 12

13. 1. After the Earthquake, it was difficult to secure a way of communication with the control centre13

14. ◇To secure a way of communication with the control centre
After the earthquake, communication with the control centre was difficult
◇To secure a way of communication with the control centre
Not on the day
Not 2 to
3 days
Immediately
Within 1 to 2 hours
Within 12 hours
Others
Sales
(Station, etc)
60.7
16.5
6.4
8.2
6.0
2.2
Drivers
8.9
11.0
50.1
24.5
1.8
3.7
Facility （Railway
and electricity etc）
38.1
24.8
12.6
13.2
3.5
7.9
The numbers were too low given the fact that the control centre is responsible for the train in service and for evacuation.
With the damages beyond expectations, it was impossible to give orders and know the damages at every worksites by the centre.
Communication had been down for more than 1 day. The important key is how to secure the communication and to give a priority for decisions on site. 14

15. After the earthquake, communication with the control centre was difficult
◇Ways of obtaining information about earthquake and tsunami on the day of earthquake
７７．９
２８．３
２５．２
２３．９
５．５
２．４ TV
Company Info
Radio
Internet
Wireless info from the local govt
Others
Company info was not enough, workers obtained info on their own way
It is important of how to obtain information reflecting modern information society

16. 2. Manuals were useless
at all 16

17. 2. Manuals were useless at all
◇Do you have “the manuals for a large scale earthquake”?
Always keep them at hands
Have manuals at home
Received the manuals but unsure whereabouts
Manuals were not distributed
Others
24.5
44.7
23.7
6.2
0.9
More than 70% do not have manuals at hands
◇How did you use the manuals when an earthquake hits?
Did not know them at all
Fully used
Used
Did not use them much
Did not use them at all
Others
3.1
10.3
29.2
49.4
6.7
1.3
More than 80% do not use the manuals

18. 2. Manuals were useless at all
Education on earthquake manuals
Had lessons and understood the content clearly
Had lessons but understanding is not enough
Lessons were provided but did not attend them
There was no education
Others
19.6
7.6
29.2
1.5
42.1
More than 80% do not understand the content of education

19. 2. Manuals were useless at all
Education and training
Practical drills anticipating all possible situations
Sales
Trainings for fire, earthquake, tsunami are necessary in cooperation with a local government
In practice
・Had education 60%
Review of manuals
Easy to understand
Easy to see
Useful manuals
Had education and understood 20%
Education has become a mere formality
Driver
Making hazard maps of each area
・No education 40%
Listen to workers on site
Manuals were useless in time of emergency
Training to think independently
No time for education on emergency
Busy worksites cannot have education
Training to know special conditions of each line
Incredible cases occur
Practical education is necessary to cope with emergency
To guarantee time for education
To nurture a teaching professional
Facility
Impossible to know all dangerous areas when a natural disaster occurs
Training on how to use emergency telephone
Ladder using evacuation drills
Talks needed to point out
problems and find out causes
Communication with partner companies

20. 2. Manuals were useless at all
Review of manuals, they were useless but they are necessary
Making manuals reflecting opinions of workers on site
Experience and thinking power, long experiences on field
In case of emergency with no communication regarding one’s life
Sales
Broadcasting to passengers
A system giving priority for decisions on site
A system does not impose responsibility on individuals even if the decision turns out wrong
In Practice
Important
Unexpected situations can occur
Gathering information
Useless manuals
When tsunami
warning issued
Run to a
high ground
Evacuate to a high ground when tsunami warning is issued
Not carrying manuals
Don’t know the content of manuals
Driver
Not stopping in tunnel nor on bridge
No education done
Not stopping
in tunnel
nor on bridge
Education has become a mere formality
Gathering information
Evacuate to a high ground when tsunami warning is issued
Manuals for rebuilding, not for saving one’s life
Facility
No individuals
forced to be imposed
responsibility
Gathering information
Evacuate to a high ground when tsunami warning is issued 20

21. 3. When a disaster occurs, evacuation procedures and routes were not used21

22. 3. Evacuation procedures and sites when a disaster occurs
◇Evacuation procedures from a worksite when a disaster occurs
Procedures were clear
Procedures were not clear enough
Procedures were unclear
Don’t know the procedures
Others
26.2
32.4
22.0
18.6
0.8
More than 70% do not understand the evacuation procedures
◇Evacuation sites from worksite when a disaster occurs
Clear enough
Not clear enough
Unclear
Don’t know
Others
32.9
25.2
21.4
19.7
0.8
Nearly 70% were unsure about evacuation sites

23. 3. Evacuation procedures and sites when a disaster occurs
◇Did you evacuate to an evacuation site from your worksite?
Evacuated by order
Did not evacuate because there were no orders
Evacuated on my own
Did not evacuate even after orders
No answers
18.0
13.0
2.2
59.8
7.0
Workers at head office and branches were able to evacuate in group. Workers on site show lower tendency of actual evacuation　　　
◇Places like stations, there are many customers, we cannot guide them to evacuate
◇We cannot evacuate first, leaving others behind　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
◇Some workers do not understand the evacuation sites　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
◇Tsunami hit evacuation sites so some sites were inappropriate for evacuation　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
◇When a train stops, in many cases, a driver does not know the local situations and it is important of how to overcome the limitations of education

24. 4. Actual voices that made “Miracle” leading to Zero
victims 24

25. 4. A voice that made zero victims (A case at Ofunato)
○Info from the city about huge tsunami warning
○Local people were evacuating to a high ground crossing the railway
Train stopped when earthquake occured
Ofunato
Ichinoseki
Driver started to make passengers prepare for evacuation
Order to stop
　Evacuation order to Ofunato elementary school
Driver told them to evacuate Ofunato elementary school
Control Centre
Ofunato Junior High
A local said Ofunato Junior high was on a higher ground and safer
Driver thought elementary school was on lower ground and close to the sea, they evacuated Ofunato Junior High
Ofunato Elementary 25

26. 4. A voice that made zero victims (A case at Ofuna)
Control centre
On site
Control centre ordered,
Ofunato elementary school
Followed an opinion of a local, evacuated to the junior high
This violates the order of the control centre
【Lesson learned】
・Control centre has limitations. Decisions on site are very important
This case resulted in success, but the opposite case could occur
◇The driver did not follow the order of control centre, so he might be charged for ignoring the order
Even if it turns out a wrong decision, a system should be established not to charge the responsibility of decisions on site 26

27. 4. A voice that made zero victims (A case at Shinchi)
Shinchi station
Stopped at Shinchi, then a huge shock came
2 policemen on the train offered to help passengers
No communication with the control centre
The driver returned to the station, but nobody was there
Control Centre
Policemen said tsunami warning was issued and passengers were guided to a city office
40 passengers were guided by policemen
Driver and conductor stayed and watched the train
500 meter away from the sea, never thought tsunami would come
Shinchi City Hall
Then, tsunami came, no time to run away
Trains were washed away
Lesson: Close doors
Stayed until morning on the bridge, no communication with anyone listening to a radio all night
Ran to bridge 27

28. 28

29. 29

30. 4. A voice that made zero victims (Hisanohama)
Road
Huge Tsunami warning
Dangerous area
Hisanohama
Yotsukura
Train stopped with emergency brake by driver
Tsunami warning
Evacuation order
Driver saw huge tsunami warning on a display on the road, this is not a normal situation
Passengers were panic
Control centre
Ladders in the train were not strong enough to support passengers
No time to get passengers off from the train, all doors opened and chairs were removed to use them as ladders. Elders were carried out with hands on
Getting everyone off the train completed in 10 to 15 mins
3 policemen working on the road, helped passengers off the train
Driver confirmed nobody left behind
Tsunami came in front of the road
A local guided passengers to a high ground, they went
to junior high, instead of Hisanohama station 30

31. 4. A voice that made zero victims (Hisanohama)
Road
Huge tsunami warning
Dangerous area
Hisanohama
Yotsukura
Tsunami came in front of the road
Going to Hisanohama⇒Confirmed passengers are on high ground.
The city was destroyed and they helped injured people with firefighters
As long as I wear uniform of JR East, I cannot run away
Emergency medical staff requested to carry out first aids with gauze
When I think of that moment now, I still wonder what should I do?
Instructed to wear protecting gloves,
Decided to carry out first aids
Fire in front of station, many injured people were carried into Hisanohama station 31

32. 1. Situations beyond expectations can occur
5. Summary
1. Situations beyond expectations can occur
It is important to train workers who can decide on their own and act independently
Control centre has limitations
To establish a system giving priority to decisions on site
A system needed not imposing responsibility on individuals even if the decisions turns out wrong
3. Education and training are necessary
Practical education using real equipment on site
Education aiming to nurture thinking power
4. To sharpen a sense of lessening damages
Researching all possible situations, practical education and training. Then what do you do?
On site power
Incredible power can be exercised

33. ◇Voices which fulfilled one’s own responsibility
5. Summary
◇Voices which fulfilled one’s own responsibility
　“Conquering worries and fears, I was able to act calmly”
　“With limited information, I acted with a strong sense of responsibility, motivation and commitment for my job”
“Judging my situations accurately, I make instantly a decision to secure safety”

34. Thank you for your listening
We regard this earthquake as a lesson, we aim to nurture a railway person who has a top priority for respecting human beings as well as philosophy of humanism
Thank you for your listening
East Japan Railway Workers Union 34