Transportation Safety Board of Canada
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB; French: Bureau de la sécurité des transports du Canada) is an independent federal agency that advances transportation safety by investigating occurrences in the air, marine, rail, and pipeline modes. The TSB identifies safety deficiencies, makes recommendations, reports publicly on findings, and maintains statistics and safety communications. It does not assign civil or criminal liability and does not regulate or enforce operational rules.
| Type | Independent accident-investigation agency (federal) |
|---|---|
| Modes covered | Air • Marine • Rail • Pipeline |
| What it does | Investigations & occurrence reporting • Recommendations & safety advisories • Watchlist • Data/statistics • Laboratory analysis (recorders/materials) |
| What it does not do | Assign blame or liability • Regulate or enforce • Prosecute offences |
| Official site | tsb.gc.ca |
Mandate and independence
The TSB operates at arm’s length from departments and regulators such as Transport Canada and the Canadian Transportation Agency. Its sole objective is to advance safety by finding causes and contributing factors and by identifying systemic risks. Recommendations are directed to regulators, operators, manufacturers, and other stakeholders.
What happens in an investigation
- Notification & deployment: The TSB receives occurrence notifications and deploys investigators when warranted.
- On-scene work: Secures evidence, documents sites, conducts interviews, coordinates with first responders and coroners/medical examiners.
- Laboratory & engineering: The TSB Laboratory analyzes flight data/cockpit voice recorders, event recorders, structures, and materials; specialists model performance and human factors.
- Analysis & reporting: Teams develop findings, safety messages, and recommendations; reports are released publicly.
- Communications & follow-up: Safety advisories/letters may be issued rapidly; the Board tracks responses to recommendations and assigns progress ratings.
Occurrence reporting and data
Operators must report occurrences to the TSB under regulations. The Board maintains occurrence databases and publishes statistics, summaries, and interactive dashboards that support research and risk analysis.
Watchlist
The TSB’s Watchlist highlights key systemic safety issues that need government and industry attention (e.g., runway overruns/excursions, fishing vessel safety, crew resource management, rail crossing/trespass risks, or fatigue management—issues evolve over time). The Watchlist raises awareness and tracks action taken.
Jurisdiction and cooperation
The TSB has authority to access and control relevant evidence, including recorders. It cooperates with foreign investigation bodies (e.g., NTSB, BEA, MAIB) under international conventions and memoranda. Criminal investigations remain with police; regulatory enforcement remains with Transport Canada and other regulators.
Role of recorders (“black boxes”)
For many aircraft, locomotives, vessels, and pipelines, data and voice/event recorders are crucial to reconstructing events. The TSB recovers, downloads, and analyzes these devices, and may advocate for recorder enhancements where gaps exist.
Safety communications
- Recommendations — formal, published, and tracked.
- Safety advisories/letters — timely communications to address urgent issues.
- Investigation updates — deployment notices and factual updates during major occurrences.
- Statistical reports — annual/periodic reports by mode.
See also
- Transport Canada • Canadian Transportation Agency • Public safety in Canada
- Aviation in Canada • Rail transport in Canada • Marine transportation in Canada • Pipelines in Canada
External links (official)
- Transportation Safety Board of Canada — Home: https://www.tsb.gc.ca/
- Statistics & Watchlist: https://www.tsb.gc.ca/ (search “Watchlist”)