FRA Fun Facts
Stuff to which every engineer should have access.

Federal Railway Administration  Learn about the rules and regulations under which you work.

New 4/4/08
According to the FRA: Presently, human factors constitute the largest category of train accident causes. In recent years some of the most serious train collisions or derailments resulting in release of hazardous materials, or harm to rail passengers, have been caused by human factors. Addressing the role of human factors in train accidents is a major component of the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) National Rail Safety Action Plan.

Read about the FRA's Safety Action Plan.


New 11/2/09

Latest Developments
NMB Proposes Change in Representation Voting Rule
Posted November 2, 2009, 1:14 P.M. ET
The National Mediation Board in a 2-1 decision proposes to change representation election rules in the airline and railroad industries to allow workers to vote “yes” or “no” for union representation and to determine the outcome by a majority of the votes cast.

A notice <http://op.bna.com/dlrcases.nsf/r?Open=lswr-7xenm8>  containing the decision, proposed rule, and request for comments is scheduled to be published in the Nov. 3.
The change was requested in early September by the AFL-CIO and more than 30 unions, who say the 75-year-old policy of requiring a majority of all workers who are eligible to vote to cast ballots in favor of representation for a union to be certified unfairly counts those who do not participate in the election as “no” votes. In its notice, NMB says the proposed rule “will provide a more reliable measure/indicator of employee sentiment in representation disputes and provide employees with clear choices in representation matters.” The board will make a final decision on whether to adopt the rule after taking public comment for 60 days.
Chairman Elizabeth Dougherty, the only Republican on the three-member panel, dissented from the proposed change, which was made by Democrats Linda Puchala, a former president of the Association of Flight Attendants, and Harry Hoagland, a former airline pilot. The change also is opposed by major airlines and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Comments may be submitted by mail or hand delivery to National Mediation Board, 1301 K St., NW., Ste. 250E, Washington, DC 20005; by fax to 202-692-5085; by e-mail to legal@nmb.gov; or through the Federal Rulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov.
A full report will appear in the Nov. 3 issue of Daily Labor Report. Click here <http://news.bna.com/dlln/?emc=dllnld:dlln:111>  for today's issue.
 


Summary of HR 2095
The Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2007

What it is and how it might affect your job.


New 10/18/08
FRA HSL - Changes to Hours of Service Act

Inserted language is underlined and in red and deleted  language is struck-out and in blue.  


New 10/23/08
FRA clamps down on use of electronic devices with Emergency Order 26

In the aftermath of the most deadly passenger rail accident in more than a decade, and just days after the National Transportation Safety Board reported that the engineer of one of the trains involved in the September 12 tragedy had sent and received dozens of text messages while on duty, the Federal Railroad Administration ("FRA") is issuing an Emergency Order that severely restricts the use of cell phones and other wireless communication and personal electronic devices by operating crews.

Read the summary and see the flow chart

Read the full FRA Emergency Order

Read the NTSB Metrolink investigation advisory dated 10/1/08


Human Factors Guidelines for Locomotive Cabs From the FRA - Locomotive environment guidelines.
            How does your locomotive measure up on the big issues?  That's what we thought!        

            Key Points Summary

            Section 3.5.1 Locomotive Toilet Facilities
           
Section 4.4.1 Locomotive Cab seats

           
FRA - Post Accident Testing Flow Chart What the FRA requires following an accident. (pdf)

FRA - Title 49 PART 240--Qualification and Certification of Locomotive Engineers

FRA - Locomotive cab sanitation standards Self explanatory (pdf)

FRA - What you need to know about federal drug and alcohol testing
Best read when not under the influence.
(pdf)


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