railroad safety concerns

[Anonymous]

The rules test at Canadian Pacific has similar requirements as BNSF, ie: 90% to pass, review of missed questions. According to my intructor, only three people at the CP have ever written a perfect test. I think a bigger issue regarding safety is fatigue. FRA rules state that you must have 8 hours rest between shifts. The callers call 2 hours before next shift leaving an actual six hours for uninterrupted rest. Now factor in the drive to and from work and subtract that from the six hours. Subtract the time for a quick bite to eat, shower, and maybe if you are lucky a little time to see your family. Repeat the routine for a few weeks straight and a guy starts to get sloppy. We are experiencing a labor shortage which is not getting better. Three fourths of the people who start conductor training drop out within the first year. Money is an issue for some but usually the schedule is what chases people away. geoff

[shrek623]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rgemd

Hate to say it but most railroads today only require an 85% or better to pass. My railroad does as well, with the added stipulation that the test must be corrected to 100%. What this does is allow the instructor or supervisor to review the missed questions with each employee to help them understand the right answers to the questions they missed, and generate a dialouge or discussion about the importance and neccessity of some of these rules

And also, you cannot ask a question that covers every rule in the book. Thats why we are required to carry our rulebooks with us while on duty, and have rules like 1.1.1. Hopefully these new hires will realize that if in doubt or uncertain to take the safe course.

Also, FRA just released an advisory on safety because seven railroaders have died in the last sixty days I believe. I found it interesting that four of the seven worked for the BNSF.

On my conductor exam (BNSF) I just took you had to get 90% or better to pass. 280 questions. I missed 16 (94%) and had to write out the correct answer AND review the rules of the 16 I missed. At least in our class they highly stressed the review of signals. I will say that it is tough to take everything in but common sense in being safe is the key. I know new hires are in the majority of injuries or fatalities but I will say that during training, I saw employees with up to 30+ years of experience doing certain things that I don't think I could ever imagining doing. Not all the time but they are there. I am sure other RR's are the same. Safety is what YOU make of it. Unfortunately, some people take it for granted. I most certainly will not!

Shrek

[Anonymous]

I have to agree with Valley. There are so many more variables in driving your car to work than actually working on the RR. In the yard I have to watch out for movement in the track on working in as well as the tracks around me. There may one or two crews working somewhere nearby, but I still need to look around to make sure some 100-ton ghost doesn't jump on me. And the fact of the matter is, railroaders have a lot more training than the average driver does. Nowadays anyone can get a driver's license. I've driven through some metropolitan areas where I feel like I'm in a Nascar race more than on a highway. Driving presents a huge amount of variables: thousands of other drivers, deer (other animals), weather conditions, etc. I feel much more in control on the RR than I do on the highway, but that doesn't mean I let my guard down either.

[ValleyX]

Big Billy, I understand what you're saying, you can only control what you do, much as you only control what you're doing when you drive on the highway to and from work. Almost everyone drives in most parts of the United States and everyone knows the risks but we seem to accept those risks. Pick up any daily newspaper and it's readily apparent. When we drive, we can only control our vehicle and hope that everyone else controls theirs, watching out for the other guy all the time. I haven't any statistics but I daresay the rails are safe than the highways in the United States but railroad accidents get the bigger headlines. It's a risk but driving to work is a greater risk. All you can do is take care of yourself and watch out, watch out, watch out. Ever vigilant!

[Anonymous]

Dear Rgemd the latest guy that got killed was 45 years old and he changed jobs and worked for BNSF for only 4 weeks . did not look both ways steping off a engine in front of a train coming along side of his train

[Anonymous]

TO valley x and limited clear.. I just wanted and made up my mind to do what i did..Let me tell you about myself.. I was a engineer for 3 years and curently have done consultant work for the past 10 years and I have a trade electrican 25 years exp, my first love is the railroad but .I didnt start in up enginner trainning i was starting over as a conductor. I know what safety is all about i just dont want someones mistake taking the most inportant thing. MY LIFE.. thank you .....

[Anonymous]

No one's perfect!

[ValleyX]

You dropped out? Are you a post-85 employee, which would require you to pass promotion to engineer, and failure to do so would result in dismissal? Did you leave UP? Just found it curious that you dropped out because you were apprehensive about what could happen instead of taking part and trying to make it better. Perhaps a harsh judgment.

[Anonymous]

Hate to say it but most railroads today only require an 85% or better to pass. My railroad does as well, with the added stipulation that the test must be corrected to 100%. What this does is allow the instructor or supervisor to review the missed questions with each employee to help them understand the right answers to the questions they missed, and generate a dialouge or discussion about the importance and neccessity of some of these rules

And also, you cannot ask a question that covers every rule in the book. Thats why we are required to carry our rulebooks with us while on duty, and have rules like 1.1.1. Hopefully these new hires will realize that if in doubt or uncertain to take the safe course.

Also, FRA just released an advisory on safety because seven railroaders have died in the last sixty days I believe. I found it interesting that four of the seven worked for the BNSF.

[Anonymous]

These are frightening statements. I always subscribe to the 100% passing standard. That's the way it was for me and I consider it barely adequate. How many weeks is UP Locomotive Engineer Training? Conrail was 7 weeks for us.

LC

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, things aren't much different in other areas. Some conductors are being marked up without being properly trained. A major accident could have ocurred due to the conductors poor training and the spotlight was brought on the terminal. Now, safety and training are taken much more seriously, but why does it always take something of tragic proportions to open people's eyes?? Yes, the railroads need more people, but at what cost?? Proper training must be executed for the railroads to truly benefit; not this rushed form of training, where some people are "coached" because they don't know the answers. That's my [2c].

[Anonymous]

Afther reading the new york times article about fra and the union pacific I wanted to voice my own opinion. here is my facts and findings... i was in a up training class to try to reach my goal on being a engineer again. AS the class went on I seen standards that were not like i was custom to working as a engineer before ....we had to pass 100% on signals UP passes at 85% I felt that a lot of (coaching is going on ) with the safety and the way teaching new employees. The fra should have all railroads with gcor. norac.or thier own rules have a passing grade of 100% maybe 15% less accidents . by the way i dropped out because of my personal safety...................