Category: Operator safety
Union launches rail hours of service violation report, updates safety condition and rail technology event report
As kids all over the world know, railroaders tend to work “all the live-long day.” This is baked into the cake and explained at hiring sessions of all the major railroads, but the hours-of-service (HOS) laws in place say, in no uncertain terms, that 12 hours is the extent of [...]
Bills of importance to TD members introduced in Michigan
The state of Michigan is a great microcosm of the United States as a whole. It has major metropolitan areas, heavy industry, expansive agriculture and a diverse transportation network. Train tracks crisscross “The Big Mitten,” moving people to and from the state a [...]
Switching Operations Fatality Analysis (SOFA) group issues info sheet
The Switching Operations Fatality Analysis (SOFA) Working Group issued a one-page information sheet last week regarding shove movements, reminding workers to take care during shove moves — “When in doubt, dismount!” According to the flyer, 27 of 34 fatalities anal [...]
FRA letter warns rail bosses of enforcement measures if training deficiencies are not resolved
In a letter sent Jan. 5, 2023, to the CEOs of the seven Class I railroads operating in the United States as well as to Association of American Railroads (AAR) President/CEO Ian Jeffries, Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose warned them that “incremental” chang [...]
FRA issues second safety advisory in two weeks’ time
The Federal Railroad Administration published a safety bulletin Dec. 29 regarding an unintended release of a train’s air brakes while stopped at a signal. The text of the advisory as published in the Federal Register is reproduced below. FRA is issuing Safety [...]
FRA issues safety bulletin
The Federal Railroad Administration’s Office of Railroad Safety issued the following bulletin on Dec. 20, 2022: SUBJECT: Pre-Departure Inspections – Appendix D to 49 CFR Part 215 The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is investigating a recent fatal accident when a [...]
Safety alert issued after tripwires found in Missouri
A safety alert was issued this week after the discovery of tripwires by a Class I worker Aug. 19 stretching from rail spikes to a sign across the ballast near Harrisonville, Mo. “The affixing of these wires – difficult to find even when looking for them, much less see w [...]
FRA NPRM: The truth behind the need for two-person crews
It’s a shame, really, that the safety of my members, the public and the infrastructure are nothing more than political pawns in the railroads’ game of never-ending greed. And it’s a shame, frankly, that the railroads manipulate woefully inept individuals – having never meanin [...]