FRA issues new report on fatigue

The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a new report on the status of fatigue among railroad industry employees. In 2001, the FRA began examining the fatigue status of safety-critical railroad employees by using logbooks to collect work and sleep data over a period of [...]

2012 safest year in railroad history

Last year was the safest year in the history of the railroad industry, based on performance measures tracked by the Federal Railroad Administration. For the fifth fiscal year in a row, the industry has improved on all six of the FRA’s official safety performance measures, inc [...]

Distractions kill, maim and end careers

Distractions occur everywhere in our daily lives, but when those in safety sensitive positions are distracted on the job, the results too often result in death or career-ending injuries. A collaborative effort among the Federal Railroad Administration, rail labor and carriers [...]

Update on conductor certification

By Larry Mann, UTU Rail Safety Coordinator –  The FRA amended its conductor certification rules in February, delaying the time for testing conductors, extending the time for formulating training programs and amending the territorial qualification requirements. By Sept. [...]

Conductor certification program available online

A slideshow presented to UTU members attending the union’s conductor certification workshop at the Portland, Ore., regional meeting is now available on the UTU website. The slideshow can be downloaded as a PowerPoint presentation by clicking here or in PDF format here. [...]

FRA interprets hours-of-service laws

WASHINGTON – In a Feb. 29, 2012, Federal Register notice, the Federal Railroad Administration provides its interpretation of hours-of-service laws “arising out of some of the complex and important amendments enacted in 2008 to the Federal railroad safety laws that govern such [...]