1 Federal Railroad Administration Railroad Safety Advisory Committee On-Track Safety Adjacent Tracks Safety Advisory No. 2004-01 April 27, 2004.

1

Federal Railroad AdministrationRailroad Safety Advisory Committee

On-Track Safety Adjacent TracksSafety Advisory No. 2004-01

April 27, 2004

2

Roadway Worker Fatalities

7

8

4 4

6 6 6

43

1

3 3

5

32

3 3

2

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03

Fat

aliti

es

Compliance Mid-1997

Voluntary Implementation Class I

Railroads Mid 1996BMWE Petition

Advisory Committee Formed

Total = 73

Note – Fatalities are only those linked to the RWP regulation. Statistics do not include other engineering fatalities such as bridge worker, highway accident fatalities, death by natural cause, etc.

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Roadway Worker Fatalities1997-2003

Four incidents - workers struck by trains on an adjacent track

Six incidents - workers walked into the path of a train

These two categories combined (ten incidents) account for 50 percent of the fatalities since 1997.

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Roadway Worker FatalitiesType of Incident 1997-2003

Total 20 fatalities

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Train WhileWorking

TrainAdjacent

Track

Walked IntoTrain

Free-RollingCars

MWEquipment

Other

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Roadway Worker FatalitiesType of Incidents

Train While Working

20%MW Equipment20%

Other5%

Train Adjacent Track20%Walked Into

Train30%

Free-Rolling Cars5%

Post Rule 1997-2003 (20 fatalities)

Train While Working

39%

MW Equipment19%

Other8%

Train Adjacent Track17%

Walked Into Train11%

Free-Rolling Cars6%

Pre-Rule 1986-1996 (53 fatalities)

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Roadway Worker FatalitiesType Railroad

Class I Freight75%

Passenger25%

Pre-Rule 1986-1996 (53 fatalities)

Class I Freight55%

Passenger45%

Post Rule 1997-2003 (20 fatalities)

Note: passenger = commuter and Amtrak

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Roadway Worker FatalitiesAverage Fatalities per Year

5.3

2.86

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

1986 - 1996 1997 - 2003

Pre-Rule Post-Rule

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Roadway Worker FatalitiesTime of Year (Calendar Year)

Pre-Rule 1986-1996 (53 fatalities)

1st20%

2nd20%3rd

10%

4th50%

Post Rule 1997-2003 (20 fatalities)

1st19%

2nd19%

3rd26%

4th36%

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IL 11

AR 1

ID 1

MT 3

WV3MO 1NJ 6

CA 6

KS 2

AZ 1

GA 2

PA 6 CT 1

TX 2

OH 2

DE 1

MN 4SD 1

CO 2

WY 2

NE 2MA 2

KY 1

OK 1

Roadway Worker FatalitiesStates 1986-2003

RI 1

FL 1

AL 1

NY 6IA 1

Region 8=7

Region 7=7

Region 4=15

Region 1=16

Region 2=11

Region 3=5

Region 5=4

Region 6=8

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Severe Engineering InjuriesJanuary-December

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Source: SOFA analysis

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Reportable Engineering Injuries Struck by Trains/On-Track Equipment

Pre-Regulation average of 40 injuries per year

Post Regulation average 27.75 injuries per year

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Safety Advisory No. 2004-01Background

The focus on heightened awareness appears to have deteriorated, causing increased occurrences of inadvertent and careless fouling of the track. FRA realizes that throughout the course of a workday, roadway workers need to cross tracks and do so safely, because tracks protected by a form of on-track safety can also be dangerous.

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Safety Advisory No. 2004-01Background

The difficulty in determining when certain types of work should be classified as “large-scale” and the concern for potentially unsafe small-scale activities prompted rail labor to request a regulation change mandating on-track safety for all roadway work groups on adjacent track, regardless of the scope of the work.

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Safety Advisory No. 2004-01Background

• “Large-scale”activities are those that can be distracting to the roadway worker.

• Other activities that are not necessarily large-scale may also have the potential to be distracting.

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Safety Advisory No. 2004-01Background

Although the FRA has decided not to pursue a regulation change at this time, we believe it is prudent for railroads and contractors to evaluate whether the work has the potential to foul the adjacent track. Consideration should be given for adjacent track on-track safety even if there is the potential for intrusion for other than large-scale.

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Safety Advisory No. 2004-01Background

The concept of not fouling the track unless necessary for the performance of duties is a core element of the regulation. It is imperative that roadway workers refrain from purposefully encroaching on the fouling space, unless absolutely necessary to perform their duties (§ 214.313).

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Safety Advisory No. 2004-01Background

For adjacent tracks, roadway work groups can utilize train-approach warning (§ 214.329) and working limits (§ 214.319).

Watchman/lookout shall be provided by the employer with the equipment necessary for compliance with the on-track safety duties that they will perform.

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Safety Advisory No. 2004-01Recommended Actions

• Reinforce to individual roadway workers that it is critical not to foul a track except in the performance of duty and only when on-track safety has been established. This training could be accomplished through training sessions, as well as daily job briefings.

• Institute peer-intervention measures by which workers are encouraged to intervene when observing another roadway worker engaging in potentially noncompliant and unsafe activity.

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Safety Advisory No. 2004-01Recommended Actions

• Develop and implement basic risk assessment procedures to determine the likelihood of adjacent track intrusion prior to initiating work activities (whether large-scale or small-scale activities).

• Use working limits for activities where equipment could foul adjacent track (whether large-scale or small-scale activities).

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Safety Advisory No. 2004-01Recommended Actions

• Install and utilize, as appropriate, rotation stops on roadway maintenance machines to prevent equipment from inadvertently fouling adjacent tracks.

• Review procedures for directing trains through adjacent track working limits, and enhance such procedures when necessary.

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Safety Advisory No. 2004-01Recommended Actions

• Install adjacent track warning signs/devices in the operating cab of on-track machines to remind roadway maintenance machine operators to not inadvertently exit the cab onto a track where there may be trains and other on-track equipment passing.

• Provide additional training and monitoring to its employees, emphasizing the need to cross tracks in a safe manner.

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Sample Adjacent Track Procedures

Track 1

Track 2

“Authority” Working Limits No. 1 Track CP139 to CP140

Production Tie & Surfacing Crew

Trains withheld at working limits. Roadway worker in charge informs work crew to remain clear of No. 2 track and permits train past limits after receiving confirmation from crew

“Authority” Working Limits

Train

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Sample Adjacent Track Procedures

Track 1

Track 2

“Authority” Working LimitsNo. 1 Track CP139 to CP140

Production Tie & Surfacing Crew

Flagmen withholding movements (working

limits)

Trains held by flagmen until

entire work crew informed

Speed reduction instrument Trains at Restricted Speed

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Sample Adjacent Track Procedures

Track 1

Track 2

Authority Working LimitsNo. 1 Track CP139 to CP140

Production Tie & Surfacing Crew

Watchmen (large- scale adjacent track

On-Track Safety)