FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION : EMPLOYMENT

Railroad Safety Inspector Positions

The job of administering and enforcing Federal railroad regulations is the responsibility of the Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration. Railroad Safety Inspectors are needed to accomplish this mission and maintain safe operating conditions throughout the Nation's network of rail lines. The job of the Inspectors is to inspect for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, rules and standards and to conduct and report on accident investigations. The Inspector writes reports of findings and seeks correction of unsafe conditions and may be called upon to testify as an expert witness in civil suits. The demands of these jobs are many, requiring skill in evaluation, fact-finding, report writing; comprehension and application of technical and regulatory standards; the ability to gain the cooperation of individuals and organizations; and knowledge of methods used in installation, operation, maintenance or manufacturing of railroad equipment and systems. There are five Railroad Safety Inspector occupational disciplines (i.e., Hazardous Materials, Operating Practices, Motive Power and Equipment, Track, and Signals and Train Control). The competencies for a Railroad Safety Inspector can be found at Railroad Safety Inspector Competencies.

WHERE THE JOBS ARE
Railroad Safety Inspector positions are found in the Federal Railroad Administration, Department of Transportation, and are located throughout the continental United States.

PAY AND GRADE LEVEL
A journeyman Railroad Safety Inspector is a Grade 12 under the General Schedule. The pay for a Railroad Safety Inspector is based on the employee’s duty station location. Pay tables can be found on the Office of Personnel Management’s website at: http://www.opm.gov/oca/07tables/index.asp.

TRAVEL
Railroad Safety Inspectors travel frequently which requires being away from the official duty station for several consecutive nights.

MOTOR VEHICLE LICENSES
All Railroad Safety Inspectors are required to possess a valid state drivers license at all times while employed by the FRA in order to perform the duties of their positions.

GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD REQUIREMENT
Potential applicants must be able to obtain and retain a Government contractor-issued travel card to be used for official business as a condition of employment.

Those employees who enter on board and find that they are unable to obtain a travel card based on their credit history or who do not retain their card during employment may be subject to removal from the Federal service.

Applicants (who have Federal employment experience) will be required to certify in writing that they have not previously had their travel card suspended or cancelled. Those who fail to meet this condition of employment will have our offer of employment rescinded.

PRE-EMPLOYMENT DRUG TEST
The selectees for Railroad Safety Inspector positions will be required to submit to a urinalysis for illegal drug use prior to appointment unless presently employed in a U.S. Department of Transportation position which requires drug testing. Individuals with confirmed positive drug test results shall be refused employment. In addition, the selectees for Railroad Safety Inspector positions are subject to random drug testing.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The Federal Railroad Administration has determined that seniority rights and leaves of absence from railroads constitute an actual or an appearance of a conflict of interest. Therefore, any individual who is selected for a Railroad Safety Inspector position from the National Railroad Safety Inspector Register will be required to divest all reemployment rights, seniority rights or leaves of absence from railroads held at the conclusion of the required one year probationary period, which begins with the date of appointment. Divestiture is a requisite to continued employment with the Federal Railroad Administration. No waivers will be granted of the divestiture requirement.

GENERAL EXPERIENCE/RATING/QUALIFICATION INFORMATION
To qualify for a Railroad Safety Inspector position experience in the railroad industry is required. There is no written test for this position. Applicants are rated based on an evaluation of the experience, training and/or education described in the application and on the responses to questions in the supplemental qualifications statement. Ratings are given on a scale of 70 to 100, based on the extent and quality of experience, training and education. Applicants are rated only on the option(s) indicated on the application materials. All applicants must have progressively responsible railroad experience which demonstrates:

Broad knowledge of the railroad industry including economic and operating considerations and equipment;
Knowledge of the general safety and health principles and practices applicable to the railroad industry;
Knowledge of railroad accident investigation techniques; and
Skill in written and oral communication.