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SMART Transportation Division National Legislative Director James Stem and others testified yesterday before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials regarding the importance of railroads in America’s transportation network and to its economy.

He was one of only four industry representatives invited to appear before the subcommittee and the only member of railroad labor to testify.

Stem addressed rail labor’s support of the railroad industry and its partnership with the carriers on equipment safety standards, hours of service improvements, Railroad Retirement Pension reforms and the opportunities to expand both freight and passenger rail.

“We understand that the most secure job is one at a profitable company that provides services that America needs,” Stem testified. “Our rail industry today is involved in a rail renaissance that will bring many decades of growth to both freight and passenger rail services. Our rail employees have earned the equity to participate in the policy decisions that will impact our industry.

“America has the most advanced freight rail system in the world. Union labor helped build it; we maintain it, and we operate the trains on it,” he said.

Stem’s testimony included support for the nation’s coal industry, transportation of crude oil and hazardous materials by rail, the needed support of Amtrak and other passenger rail systems and the implications of increased truck sizes on our highways and to our environment.

Also testifying at the hearing were Edward Hamberger, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads, Joseph Boardman, president and CEO of Amtrak, and Paula Hammond, secretary of transportation for the state of Washington and chairperson of the States for Passenger Rail Coalition.

To read Stem’s complete testimony, click here.

To read Hamberger’s complete testimony, click here.

To read Boardman’s complete testimony, click here.

As a result of recently implemented budget cuts, the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) must reduce railroad unemployment and sickness insurance benefits by 9.2 percent.

These reductions stem from a sequestration order which President Obama filed on March 1, 2013, in accordance with the requirements of the Budget Control Act of 2011. The sequestration order sets aside a total of $6 million in funding under the railroad unemployment and sickness insurance program. Given the total amount of spending under the program, a cut of this size made benefit reductions necessary.

The 9.2 percent reduction in railroad unemployment benefits will reduce the maximum daily benefit rate from $66 to just under $60. As a result, the total maximum amount payable in a two-week period covering 10 days of unemployment will drop from $660 to $599.28.

Certain railroad sickness benefits are reduced for regular Tier I railroad retirement taxes of 7.65 percent. Applying the additional 9.2 percent reduction to these benefits will result in a daily benefit rate of $55.34 and a maximum two-week payment of $553.44.

The maximum daily benefit rate will increase to $68 on July 1, 2013. For days of unemployment and sickness after that date, the reduction will result in a maximum daily benefit rate of $61.74 and a maximum two-week payout of $617.44. The maximum daily benefit rate for sickness benefits subject to Tier I payroll taxes will be $57.02, with a maximum two-week total of $570.21.

The total sequestration is actually spread out over nine years. This initial reduction will remain in effect through Sept. 30, 2013. The initial reduction amount is based upon projected claims and benefits and may be adjusted as needed. Congress will subsequently determine the amount of any reductions in future years. In addition, any appropriations subsequently enacted in fiscal year 2013 could also result in changes to the reduction amount.

The law exempts social security benefits, as well as railroad retirement, survivor, and disability benefits paid by the RRB, from sequestration.

In fiscal year 2012, the RRB paid $11.3 billion in retirement and survivor benefits to about 573,000 beneficiaries, and net unemployment-sickness benefits of $89 million to about 26,000 claimants.

 

The following questions and answers on these reductions were provided by the Railroad Retirement Board:

Q. Why are UI/SI benefits impacted by the sequestration when they are funded by the railroads, not the federal government?

A.  The Budget Control Act of 2011 mandated the reduction and can only be rescinded by the Congress and the President.

 

Q.   If the sequester issue is resolved, will the reduced portion of the UI/SI benefits be restored?

A.   We cannot answer this question since it would depend on the final legislative agreement passed by Congress and signed by the President. 

 

Q.  How was the 9.2 percent reduction in unemployment and sickness benefits determined?

A.  The reduction amount of 9.2 percent in the payment of RUIA benefits was determined by law. 

 

Q.  Will the sequestration have an impact on extended benefits, including the benefits provided for in the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012?

A.  Yes, the 9.2 percent reduction applies to both regular/current UI benefits, as well as extended benefits funded thru the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.

 

Q. When did the reduction in unemployment and sickness benefits begin? 

 A. The reduction of 9.2 percent applies to benefits paid for days beginning March 1, 2013, or later.  For instance, in an unemployment claim for the period 02/24/13 thru 3/9/13, the days 2/24-28 would be paid at the full DBR of $66, while the days 3/1-9 would be paid at the reduced rate.

 

Q.  How long will the reduction in my unemployment benefits last?

A.  Currently, the reduction for both unemployment and sickness benefits is expected to continue thru Sept. 30, 2013.

 

Q.  How much will I get paid?

A.  If a claimant’s daily benefit rate is $66.00 and all days are claimed in a 14-day registration period, the gross amount of benefits payable for the claim will be reduced by $60.72 (9.2 percent x $660.00).  Instead of a maximum payment of $660.00 for a full 14-day claim, the maximum payment will be $599.28.  

If the claim is for sickness benefits subject to Tier I railroad retirement taxes, there is a further reduction of 7.65 percent or $45.84.  The maximum payment after Tier I tax withholding will be $553.44.

 

Q.  Will the sequestration affect the whole UI claim or just parts of it?

A.  The reduction in the amount of unemployment and sickness benefits applies to all days payable beginning March 1.

 

Q.  Does sequestration affect the payment of my railroad retirement, disability or survivor benefits?

A.  No, any retirement, disability and survivor benefits paid under the Railroad Retirement Act are not affected and will continue to be paid in full.

 

Q.  Since sickness benefits are being reduced, will this also affect my disability retirement benefits?

A.  No, monthly disability retirement benefits are not affected by sequestration and will continue to be paid in full.

 

Q.  Will the sequestration affect my retirement benefits even though I have not yet retired?

A.  No. 

 

Q.  Are any RRB offices going to be closed or operate with reduced hours, especially since it has been rumored SSA offices will going to a four-day work week?

A.  No, all RRB field offices will continue to be open to the public from 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday (except for federal holidays.) 

 

Q.  Does the sequester affect federal workers or the operations of the Railroad Retirement Board?

A.  Most federal agencies will have to furlough employees as a result of sequestration.  The RRB, which has experienced significant staff decreases over the past several years, does not expect, at this time, to furlough its employees.  However, the RRB will not be able to hire sufficient staff to replace those employees who have retired over the past several years.

In-cab communication is an essential element in overall railroad safety. Too many fatal accidents and injuries have been attributed to a lack of or insufficient “in-cab communications.” Peer-to-peer interaction is the key component to effective in-cab communications, according to the UTU’s Rail Safety Task Force.

Everyone knows someone who can benefit from peer-to-peer interaction. Post-accident discussions often include statements like “I knew this would happen” or “it was just a matter of time.” It is absolutely critical that we speak up before an incident.

At the end of the day, we all want the same things. We all want to be able to go home to our families the same way we left them. It is our responsibility as union members to speak up any time, anywhere a risky behavior or unsafe action may come up. You never want to have the thought, “I wish I had said something.” We owe it to ourselves, as well as our other brothers and sisters, to speak up and communicate frequently in the locomotive cab about the operations of the train.

The following behaviors should be practiced during every train assignment.

• Continuous job safety briefings: Crewmembers need a complete understanding of the work to be performed, with conversations about potential risks and other job-related exposures. Don’t be timid about asking questions. There are no stupid questions. Your question may save a life. So speak up if you’re unsure about a move!

• Maintaining situational awareness: This includes planning and preparing for the task ahead, doing your best to avoid distractions, distributing your work load, communicating with your crew members and “recognizing a deteriorating situation.” Develop your own technique to minimize the loss of situational awareness. This may include your own personalized method of staying aware or making a check list that you go through repetitively.

• Attention to details: Go over any details that could possibly be overlooked. Follow procedures to ensure all tasks are performed safely. Perform routine or repetitious tasks with care and attention.

• Courage and confidence to speak up when necessary: Don’t be afraid to speak up regardless of craft, seniority, organization or gender. You may save someone’s life. You may save your own life.

• Electronic devices: Be the person on your crew to demonstrate that your cell phone is off and stowed away when prohibited by rule or regulation. It’s not only because of the rules and regulations that we should do this. It’s the right thing to do to insure safety for ourselves and other crew members.

• Lead by example: As union workers, we must always demonstrate that we are the best and safest workforce money can buy.

(This is Safety Alert #9 in a series of alerts posted by the UTU’s Rail Safety Task Force.)

Amtrak LogoPerhaps sparked by highway congestion or the hassle of air travel, Amtrak’s passenger rail service has been the nation’s fastest growing mode of transportation, according to a new report that urges Congress to push forward with a coordinated national rail plan.

The government-subsidized railway carried a record 31.2 million people last year, a 55 percent increase since 1997, according to a study by the Brookings Institution.

Read the complete story from The Washington Post.

 

OSHA logo; OSHAWASHINGTON – Norfolk Southern Railway Co. has been ordered to pay $1,121,099 to three workers following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which found that the company violated the whistleblower provisions of the Federal Railroad Safety Act.

Two investigations, conducted by OSHA staff in Chicago and Pittsburgh, found that three employees were wrongfully fired for reporting workplace injuries. In addition to monetary remedies, the company has been ordered to expunge the disciplinary records of the three whistleblowers, post a notice regarding employees’ whistleblower protection rights under the FRSA and train workers on these rights.

Railroad carriers are subject to the FRSA, which protects employees who report violations of any federal law, rule or regulation relating to railroad safety or security, or who engage in other protected activities.

“The Labor Department continues to find serious whistleblower violations at Norfolk Southern, and we will be steadfast in our defense of a worker’s right to a safe job – including his or her right to report injuries,” said acting Secretary of Labor Seth D. Harris. “When workers can’t report safety concerns on the job without fear of retaliation, worker safety and health suffer, which costs working families and businesses alike.” 

One investigation involved a crane operator based in Fort Wayne, Ind., who was removed from service after reporting an eye injury requiring the extraction of a sliver of metal and rust ring from his eye. The injury occurred while he was operating a crane in support of a bridge-building operation in Albany, Ind. The employee was taken out of service and formally terminated on Aug. 24, 2010, after an internal investigation determined he had made false statements concerning the injury.

OSHA’s investigation concluded that the worker would not have been terminated if he had not reported the injury. The agency has ordered the railroad to pay him a total of $437,591.70 in damages, which includes $100,000 in compensatory damages for pain and suffering, $175,000 in punitive damages, and $156,518.94 in back wages and benefits. It also includes compensation of $6,072.76 to the crane operator for penalties incurred when he had to cash in savings bonds prior to their maturity date after being terminated. In addition to damages, the company has been ordered to pay reasonable attorney fees. Further, OSHA has ordered the railroad to reinstate the worker to the proper seniority level, with vacation and sick days that he would otherwise have earned.

OSHA’s second investigation involved a thermite welder and a welder’s helper based in western Pennsylvania. Both employees had worked at the railroad for more than 36 years without incident when they reported injuries sustained as a result of an accident caused by another vehicle that ran a red light and hit a second vehicle, which in turn collided with the company truck in which they were riding.

The employees initially reported minor shoulder area pain plus some stiffness and soreness. Later, when questioned by management, they initially declined medical treatment, but as the pain increased, sought and received treatment at a local hospital. They were then taken out of service pending an investigative hearing and formally terminated. Management concluded that the employees’ reports about their condition were false and conflicting and constituted misconduct.

OSHA’s investigation found that the employees were terminated for reporting injuries to management. The agency has ordered the railroad to pay them $683,508 in damages, including $300,000 in punitive damages; $233,508 in lost wages, benefits and out-of-pocket costs; and $150,000 in compensatory damages for pain and suffering. Interest on back pay due will accrue daily until the employees are paid. In addition to damages, the company has been ordered to pay reasonable attorney fees.

These actions follow several other orders issued by OSHA against Norfolk Southern Railway Co. in the past two years. OSHA’s investigations have found that the company continues to retaliate against employees for reporting work-related injuries, and these actions have effectively created a chilling effect in the railroad industry.

“The Labor Department’s responsibility is to protect all employees, including those in the railroad industry, from retaliation for exercising these basic worker rights,” said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. Railroad workers must be able to report work-related injuries without fear of retaliation.”

Norfolk Southern Railway Co. is a major transporter/hauler of coal and other commodities, serving every major container port in the eastern United States with connections to western carriers. Its headquarters are in Norfolk, Va., and it employs more than 30,000 union workers worldwide.

Any party to these cases can file an appeal with the Labor Department’s Office of Administrative Law Judges within 30 days of receipt of the findings.

On July 16, 2012, OSHA and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration signed a memorandum of agreement to facilitate coordination and cooperation for enforcing the FRSA’s whistleblower provisions. Between August 2007, when OSHA was assigned responsibility for whistleblower complaints under the FRSA, and September 2012, OSHA received more than 1,200 FRSA whistleblower complaints. The number of whistleblower complaints that OSHA currently receives under the FRSA surpasses the number it receives under any of the other 21 whistleblower protection statutes it enforces except for Section 11(c) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. More than 60 percent of the FRSA complaints filed with OSHA involve an allegation that a railroad worker has been retaliated against for reporting an on-the-job injury.

OSHA enforces the whistleblower provisions of the FRSA and 21 other statutes protecting employees who report violations of various airline, commercial motor carrier, consumer product, environmental, financial reform, food safety, health care reform, nuclear, pipeline, worker safety, public transportation agency, maritime and securities laws. Employers are prohibited from retaliating against employees who raise various protected concerns or provide protected information to the employer or to the government.

Employees who believe that they have been retaliated against for engaging in protected conduct may file a complaint with the secretary of labor to request an investigation by OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program. Detailed information on employee whistleblower rights, including fact sheets, is available at http://www.whistleblowers.gov.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

Some Congressional lawmakers want to allow bigger trucks on the nation’s highways, but the SMART Transportation Division and others are asking them to hit the road.

In a letter to all 435 members of the House of Representatives, the SMART Transportation Division has joined with the Association of American Railroads (AAR), the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), the Railway Supply Institute (RSI), the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), the Transportation Communications International Union (TCU) and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWE) in requesting that they refrain from cosponsoring H.R. 612.

The legislation was introduced on Feb. 12 by Reps. Mike Michaud and Reid Ribble. Specifically, the legislation seeks to increase the maximum truck weight allowed on our nation’s highways from 80,000 to 97,000 pounds at a time when the Department of Transportation (DOT) – as instructed by Congress – is conducting a comprehensive study of this issue.

The letter reminds lawmakers that H.R. 612 would increase the subsidies other motorists provide for the damage caused by heavy trucks; notes that one in every four bridges in the U.S. today is structurally deficient or functionally obsolete; asks lawmakers to consider the serious implications for our environment posed by larger trucks, and, most importantly, points out that the American public overwhelmingly opposes increasing truck weights.

Even some truckers are against the bill.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) sent letters to House members urging them not to co-sponsor H.R. 612.

In the letters, OOIDA President Jim Johnston wrote: “On behalf of our nation’s small business truckers, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) urges you to not co-sponsor H.R. 612, legislation to allow heavier trucks on America’s highways.

“Small business truckers make up the majority of the trucking industry in the United States, and they know first-hand the impact that heavier trucks have on their cost of equipment and operations, safety matters, including the handling characteristics of a truck, and the conditions of our nation’s roads and bridges.”

To read the complete letter co-signed by the SMART Transportation Division, click here.

SMART Transportation Division President Mike Futhey and Assistant President John Previsich this week joined the leaders of other AFL-CIO affiliate unions at the organization’s annual winter meeting.

They also meet separately with members of the organization’s Transportation Trades Department to roll out a 2013 transportation investment and jobs agenda, stake out an aggressive stance against irresponsible liberalization of aviation trade and to condemn damaging cuts to transportation programs and jobs that are threatened by sequestration.

“It is the height of irresponsibility for extremists in Congress to use the sequestration battle to tank our economy and use public and private sector working men and women as pawns in their partisan games,” said Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO following the annual winter meeting of its 33-member Executive Committee. “It is time for Congress to end this senseless sequestration stalemate and finally start focusing on an agenda to modernize our failing transportation system and create middle-class jobs.”



The TTD Executive Committee was joined by new House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) who said, “I appreciate today’s opportunity to meet with the Transportation Trades Department’s Executive Committee, and look forward to working with them and all parties interested in a stronger transportation network for our nation. By listening to a diverse set of opinions and working together to build consensus, we can improve America’s infrastructure, make us more competitive, and strengthen our economy.”



U.S. Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.), ranking minority member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Water Resources Subcommittee, also joined the meeting and said, “Investments in infrastructure put skilled laborers to work now and lay the foundation for a growing economy in the future. I am proud to partner with TTD in advocating for a 21st Century American transportation network and fighting back against destructive budget cuts like sequestration that will undermine vital programs. I am also proud of my work with TTD to extend [Family and Medical Leave Act] protections to airline flight crews, protect fair wages for transportation workers, and ensure our roads, rails, transit operations, ports and aviation system are safe and well funded for the future.” 



The Executive Committee also heard from U.S. Department of Transportation Undersecretary for Policy Polly Trottenberg, who said, “Transportation workers are our partners in safety, who build, operate and maintain the roads, rails and runways that every American depends on. The Obama Administration will continue investing in good transportation projects that keep our economy and the traveling public moving forward.”



The Executive Committee adopted several policy statements during the meeting that offer detailed, substantive policy prescriptions on behalf of the workers who operate, maintain and build the world’s largest transportation network.



On the eve of possible federal spending cuts due to sequestration, the Executive Committee condemned threatened draconian cuts to vital transportation programs that form the backbone of our system of commerce. The “ravages of sequestration,” they said, must be avoided and federal workers “should not be made scapegoats” in this dangerous political game.
To end the stalemate on long-term investments in public transit and highways, transportation unions offer a bipartisan solution to the “broken and outdated funding system,” noting that the purchasing power of these funds has fallen 33 percent in two decades.

TTD affiliates support an increase in the gas tax indexed to inflation, as well as possibly replacing the current excise tax with a sales tax.



On the globalization of aviation, TTD opposes the European Union’s push to hollow out U.S. airline ownership and control laws, and impose its heavy-handed agenda in talks with the U.S. and in the upcoming meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organization.



As for a long-term plan for Amtrak, TTD laments, “Too many politicians fail to understand the enormous economic benefits of modernizing passenger and freight rail.” Transportation unions will push for a long-term funding plan for Amtrak and oppose “risky” privatization schemes.

Transportation union leaders also vow to preserve a strong maritime industry. TTD unions sharply criticize congressional action to weaken cargo preference laws that ensure most federal government-generated cargo travels on U.S.-flagged ships crewed by U.S. maritime workers.



TTD affiliates will also join the battle to stop the use of “our own transportation system” as a “haven for predatory criminals” that engage in human trafficking.



The affiliates of TTD also pledge their support for the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) campaign against the sinister efforts of Patriot Coal, Peabody Energy and Arch Coal to exploit our bankruptcy code at the expense of “hard-working mine workers, retirees, and their families.”

Amtrak Logo
ORLANDO, Fla. – As lawmakers prepare to debate passenger rail reauthorization, leaders of AFL-CIO transportation unions are calling on Congress to set a long-term future for Amtrak that meets the demands of a growing ridership, invests in the railroad’s decaying equipment and network, protects the rights and jobs of workers and rejects “risky” privatization of key routes and services.



“While Americans are clamoring for more transportation options, Congress must ensure that Amtrak and its employees have the resources necessary to meet the nation’s growing rail transportation needs,” said Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD). “Inaction and neglect in Washington have left Amtrak with an enormous backlog of critical upgrades to its infrastructure and rail cars.”



In 2013 both the House and Senate will draft legislation to provide funding and structure to our nation’s passenger rail network. A policy statement adopted by TTD’s Executive Committee urges Congress to replace the current policy of “underinvestment and disrepair” with a long-term plan that modernizes our passenger and freight rail infrastructure and discards proposals to “sell-off the carrier’s most prized routes and assets, and hollow out the remainder of the network.”



Transportation unions emphasized Amtrak’s readiness to lead the nation’s expansion into both higher speed and conventional passenger rail services.



Amtrak has “an extensive reservation system, mature relationships with the freight railroads, the physical infrastructure needed to support high-speed rail initiatives and decades of demonstrated compliance with all federal rail laws,” the Executive Committee declared, adding that as billions in new public investments are rolled out in the rewrite of federal rail policy, “the reauthorization must safeguard the rights, jobs and wages of front-line workers.”



Wytkind added: “We will mobilize behind this sensible plan to rewrite our passenger rail laws and give our government the tools it needs to execute a national rail policy.”

The engineer of one of two ore trains that crashed head-on just outside of Two Harbors, Minn., in 2010 is taking issue with the National Transportation Safety Board report on the accident, disputing that cell phone use by the train crews was a relevant factor.

In an exclusive interview with the News-Chronicle Feb. 20, Dan Murphy, engineer of the northbound train, conceded that he had used his phone on the day of the Sept. 30, 2010, accident, but that the call was less than a minute and in no way interfered with his duties.

Read the complete story at Lake County News Chronicle.

The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a new report on the status of fatigue among railroad industry employees.

In 2001, the FRA began examining the fatigue status of safety-critical railroad employees by using logbooks to collect work and sleep data over a period of two weeks from a representative sample of employees in each group.

The research in this report was conducted prior to implementation of the Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (RSIA), which made significant changes to limitations on hours of work for railroad employees. Consequently, the information in this report can serve as a baseline for examining the adequacy of existing statutory or regulatory limitations on hours of work to prevent worker fatigue.

This report draws on the results of several prior studies, all conducted with similar methodology, to characterize the prevalence of employee fatigue in the U.S. railroad industry.

Data from logbook surveys of signalmen, maintenance of way workers, dispatchers, and train and engine service employees were combined to examine the relationship between work schedules and sleep patterns.

Railroaders make up for lack of sleep on workdays by sleeping longer on rest days. This strategy is used to a greater extent among by certain groups such as signalmen working four 10-hour days, first shift dispatchers, and train and engine service workers on jobs with a fixed start time.

T&E workers in passenger service with a split assignment have a shorter primary sleep period than those working straight through or working extra board assignments, but they have similar total daily sleep because they sleep during their interim release.

Overall, U.S. railroad workers are more likely than U.S. working adults to get less than seven hours of total sleep on workdays, but railroad workers average more total sleep when sleep on workdays and rest days are combined.

Logbook data for work and sleep indicates that T&E workers and third shift dispatchers have the most fatigue exposure and passenger T&E workers have the least. Railroad workers in all groups had less fatigue exposure than those involved in human factors accidents.

The key findings of this report are as follows:

•The risk of a human factors accident is elevated 11 to 65 percent above chance by exposure to fatigue.

•The economic cost of a human factors accident when an employee is very fatigued is approximately $1,600,000, compared to $400,000 in the absence of fatigue.

•Amount of sleep and the time of day when sleep occurs account for 85 to 96 percent of fatigue exposure. Work schedules determine the amount and time of day of sleep.

•Dispatchers and T&E workers have the highest exposure to fatigue. They are also the groups that have the longest work hours and work at night.

•T&E as a group has significant fatigue exposure, but passenger T&E is the group with the least fatigue exposure. The predictability of passenger T&E schedules and less nighttime work explains this difference.

•The fatigue exposure of all groups is less than that of employees involved in human factors accidents, which indicates a relationship between fatigue and accidents.

•Significant differences resulting from job type and schedule exist in the sleep patterns of railroad workers. Analysis of data collected through a logbook study allows for identification of the differences that are not otherwise apparent.

•The sleep pattern of railroad workers differs from that of U.S. working adults. Railroad workers are more likely to get less than seven hours of total sleep on workdays, which puts them at risk of fatigue. On average, however, they obtain more total sleep than U.S. working adults, when total sleep hours on workdays and rest days are combined.

•Railroad workers in all groups reported sleep disorders that exceed U.S. norms for working adults. Of these, all but 2.4 percent were receiving treatment.

•The FRA fatigue model (FAST) provides a valid method of assessing fatigue exposure as a function of work schedule and sleep pattern.

These findings suggest that strategies for reducing railroad worker fatigue include improving the predictability of schedules and educating workers about human fatigue and sleep disorders.

To view the complete report, click here.