FRA Issues Safety Bulletin for Working With On-Track Equipment 

FRA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a safety bulletin reminding railroaders to take precautions while working with roadway maintenance machines (RMM).

Safety Bulletin 2024-03 comes after the FRA announces it is investigating an accident involving on-track excavation activities. The roadway worker who suffered fatal injuries had “approximately 13 years of experience” and was working as the “roadway worker in charge of a work group working to fill areas along an embankment with ballast.” While directing on-track operations of a track hoe excavator, the roadway worker “walked alongside the continuous tread of the track hoe.” At some point, the worker was pinned between “the machine body and the machine’s bucket,” leading to fatal injuries. 

As a response, the FRA issued the bulletin “to remind railroads, railroad employees, and railroad contractors of the importance of ensuring property safety precautions,” particularly when around roadway maintenance machines (RMM). This includes the six bullets below:

• Railroads should provide its employees with adequate training on railroad rules who operate and work near RMMs.
• Railroads should provide its employees with periodic oversight of compliance with railroad rules for those who work with and near RMMS.
• Railroads should empower its employees to seek clarification of any safety rule if needed as well as the right to challenge any rules regarding roadway workers who work with and near RMMs.
• Employees should understand the importance of proper briefings that address said safety risks. 
• Employees should also understand the importance of good communication between machine operators and roadway workers who are assigned to work with and near RMMs.
• Employees also need to understand the importance of railroad rule compliance for working with and near RMMs.