The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a final rule limiting the number of consecutive hours passenger railroad workers can be on the job. The new Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulation will differentiate between freight and passenger service.
According to the DOT this rule recognizes the difference between work during daylight hours and work during nighttime hours when fatigue is most likely to occur.
The final rule includes:
1. Maximum on-duty periods and minimum off-duty periods for passenger train employees including locomotive engineers, and conductors.
2. Requirements for railroads to identify schedule-specific risks of fatigue using an approved, scientifically validated, and calibrated bio-mathematical model of human performance and fatigue.
3. Requirements for railroads to develop and carry out plans to mitigate fatigue risks before safety may be compromised. The final rule also requires railroads to submit certain work schedules of their passenger train employees and fatigue mitigation plans to FRA for approval, and to provide fatigue training. (WCxKit)
The final rule will become effective on Oct. 15, 2011.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: [email protected].
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