One of the most active initiatives in the railroad industry has been analyzing the issues of roadway worker protection. The FAMES (Fatality Analysis of Maintenance-of-Way Employees and Signalmen) Committee, the industry-wide group that has focused on this important issue, is a voluntary committee of labor, management and government formed to review and analyze Roadway Worker Fatalities.
Following are safety alerts and recommendations put forth by the FAMES Committee:
For more information, contact JR Gelnar at (202) 585-3436.
Together with other industry associations, government agencies and labor bodies, the ASLRRA is engaged in the Switching & Operations Fatality Analysis (SOFA) working group. The goal of SOFA is to identify and eradicate the causes of switching and operations fatalities.
Following are recommendations and the most recent quarterly SOFA reports:
Safety Bulletin - September 8, 2023 - Employee Amputation – Flat Switching, Kicking Operations and Securement
Safety Bulletin - July 6, 2023 - Trainee Switching Fatality Involving a Shove Movement in a Yard
The Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS) is a partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), in conjunction with participating railroad carriers and labor organizations. The program is designed to improve railroad safety by collecting and analyzing reports which describe unsafe conditions and events in the railroad industry. Employees are able to report safety issues or “close calls” voluntarily and confidentially. From time to time, Alerts will be made public based on information supplied through the C3RS System.
