Switching Operations Fatality Analysis (SOFA) group issues info sheet

March 1, 2023

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 analyzed by the SOFA group in the decade from 2011-2021 occurred during shove moves.

The SOFA Working Group is a cross-industry collaboration for over 25 years that works to identify any possible contributing factors for each of the more than 210 switching operations fatalities that have occurred in the rail industry since 1992. The SOFA Working Group reports its findings and on emerging data trends with the goal of zero fatalities in the railroad industry.