Brothers;

The Federal Railroad Administration has issued Safety Advisory 2007-01. It relates to protection of shove movements in yards and terminals. A link to the federal register containing the text of the advisory is at the bottom of this page.

This is only an advisory and does not yet have the force of law. Rail management will be encourage to amend operating rules to adopt language of the advisory...Be careful out there.

Fraternally,

Jerry Anderton
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F.R.A DEALS NEW YARD SAFETY ADVICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- New safety recommendations affecting all yard shoving and pushing operations -- including conventional and remote control -- have been issued by the Federal Railroad Administration in the wake of a Dec. 14 fatality in a CSX yard near Syracuse, N.Y.
Included in the recommendations are that railroads amend their point protection rules for remote control operations "to clarify that the person protecting the point visually determine, for the duration of the shoving or pushing movement, that the track is clear either within the person’s range of vision or for the complete distance the equipment is to be shoved or pushed."

The fatality, said to the FRA, occurred in the CSX DeWitt yard when a car man backing a pickup truck over a crossing was struck by a yard movement being shoved by a remote control locomotive. The leading end that struck the pickup truck consisted of six empty flat cars, which the FRA said are "less perceptible" than the approach of other rolling stock; and that the accident was "exacerbated by darkness."

The FRA also recommended that carriers consider how to make flat cars and other equipment with low profiles more conspicuous when they are the lead car in a shoving movement -- especially at yard crossings.

Additionally, the FRA recommended that carriers review the ability of employees to call for assistance in emergency situations through the use of a common emergency radio frequency. In the CSX fatality, the car man attempted to call for help, but was on a different radio frequency than the crew.

The FRA recommendations are not binding on railroads at this time, but are likely later to be incorporated in FRA operating rules.

To view the FRA recommendations as published in the Federal Register, left click on:
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/E7-594.htm .