DOT-20-08
Contact: Steve Kulm or Warren Flatau
Tel: (202) 493-6024
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
U.S. DOT Takes Action to Reduce Train Accidents Caused by Human Error,
Greater Accountability Placed on Railroad Management and Employees for Safety
Reducing common mistakes that result in nearly half of all human factor-caused
train accidents is the aim of a new federal regulation that places greater
accountability on both railroad management and employees for complying with
basic operating rules, announced U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters.
“We are tackling several commonplace errors that can lead to serious train
accidents,” said Secretary Peters, noting issuance of this rule is the
centerpiece of the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) National Rail Safety
Action Plan.
Peters explained that relatively simple errors such as improperly lined track
switches, shoving rail cars without a person in front to monitor for clear track
ahead, and leaving rail cars in a position that obstruct or foul an active track
may now result in a violation of federal rail safety regulations. At present,
these types of mistakes are generally only subject to internal railroad standard
operating procedures and addressed through employee disciplinary procedures or
other corrective actions.
“We want everyone to know how to do their jobs safely every time, every day, no
matter what task they are performing,” said FRA Administrator Joseph H.
Boardman, stressing that stricter adherence to core operating rules will prevent
train accidents and employee injuries.
Boardman said the federal rule essentially defines three distinct levels of
responsibility and accountability including: railroad managers for putting in
place programs designed to test employees for proficiency in abiding by
applicable operating rules; supervisors for properly administering such
operational tests; and employees for complying with the rules. Under the
regulations, employees will have a “right of challenge” should they be
instructed to take actions that, in good faith, they believe would violate the
rules. FRA will actively monitor compliance with these requirements through
inspections and audits, and certain violations may result in a fine ranging from
$7,500 to $16,000. In some cases, individuals may also be subject to personal
liability, he said.
FRA undertook development of this final rule after detecting an increase in
human factor-caused train accidents in recent years. Additional impetus was
provided by a January 2005 accident in Graniteville, SC, that killed nine
people. The accident occurred when a train was erroneously diverted off a
mainline track due to an improperly lined switch, then collided with a parked
train, and resulted in the release of toxic chlorine gas from three tank cars.
A complete copy of the final rule can be found at
www.fra.dot.gov.
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