FRA proposes training standards for rail employees

Written by jrood

The Federal Railroad Administration proposed a requirement that railroads must train and qualify employees in safety-related positions on federal railroad safety laws, regulations and orders.

The proposed rule would require each railroad or contractor with safety-related railroad employees to develop a training program designating the qualifications of each employee and submit that program for FRA approval. Employers would conduct periodic oversight of their own employees to determine compliance and conduct annual written reviews of their training programs to close performance gaps. The proposed rule is a requirement of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008.


”Well-designed training programs have the potential to further reduce risk in the railroad environment,” said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo. “We believe that better training can reduce the number of accidents, particularly those caused by human factors, which account for the vast majority of reportable accidents each year.”
Under the Federal Railroad Administration Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, training would apply to relevant railroad rules and procedures used to implement those federal railroad safety laws.

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