Judith Gertler

Work schedules, sleep, fatigue, and accidents in the US railroad industry

Objective: The objective of this report is to provide a comprehensive description of fatigue in US railroad workers employed in safety-sensitive positions. Methods: Five survey studies were conducted between 2006 and 2011 on maintenance of way employees, signalmen, dispatchers, train & engine (T&E) employees, and T&E employees engaged in passenger service. These studies were reanalyzed and compared with regard to work schedules and sleep patterns. Fatigue exposure was determined by analysis of work schedules and sleep patterns with a fatigue model, the Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool (FAST). Results: Twelve different schedules of work exist in the five groups of railroad employees. Work schedules largely determine sleep patterns, which, in turn, determine fatigue exposure. T&E crews and dispatchers have the highest fatigue exposure, but these two groups have considerably less fatigue exposure than T&E crews who were involved in accidents. Passenger service T&E employees have the least fatigue exposure, even though the distribution of work time is highly similar to that of T&E employees. This difference in fatigue exposure may be due to the greater predictability of work for the passenger service T&E. Human factor accident probability and the cost of human factor accidents increase with fatigue exposure. The risk (probability × cost) of a human factor accident increases exponentially with fatigue exposure. Conclusions: A methodology has been developed for studying the work schedules and sleep patterns of railroad workers. This methodology allows for the collection of data which makes it possible to identify differences in sleep patterns as a function of both work group and work schedule. Future work on fatigue in occupational groups should focus on similar methods to expand our knowledge of the role of work schedules on sleep, fatigue, and accident risk.

Railroad Yard Safety: Perspectives from Labor and Management

Safety in the U.S. railroad industry has improved markedly over the last two decades. Train accident and employee injury rates have both declined sharply. While current railroad accident and injury rates are low in comparison to other modes of transportation, these rates in railroad yards far exceed the overall accident and injury rates across the entire railroad industry. To assist the U.S. railroad industry in its efforts to improve safety, the Federal Railroad Administration initiated research to examine worker safety issues in yards. Part of this research effort involved conducting structured interviews with railroad management and focus groups with railroad labor. A number of safety-related topics were addressed, such as overall safety climate, safety incentive programs, and training. Methods of data collection are described, results of the structured interviews and focus groups are presented, and opportunities for improving safety in the railroad industry are identified.

Improving Safety-Related Rules Compliance in the Public Transportation Industry

This report was developed as a resource for improving safety-related rule compliance in the public transportation industry. Transit agencies should view the practices as ideas for consideration when looking for ways to improve an existing rules compliance program or when designing a program for a new operation. This report will be of interest to public transit professionals who play a role in a transit agencys rules compliance program, including the safety director, rules program officials, training director, or supervisors involved in daily oversight of transit operations and maintenance.

Development of a Minimum Set of Recommended Railroad Dispatcher Training Objectives: A Case Study

Two recent Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) safety audits found substantial variability in the way railroad dispatchers are trained. Given this variability, and the potential for compromised safety that arises, a need for more uniform dispatcher training exists. This paper discusses the development of a minimum set of railroad dispatcher training objectives that can be used by a wide variety of railroad operations, and are acceptable to all of the different stakeholders, including railroad management, railroad dispatchers, and the FRA. Using information from site visits, interviews, and existing training materials, a set of training objectives was developed using Blooms taxonomy of cognitive learning outcomes. The objectives were reviewed by stakeholders to ensure that the objectives were broadly applicable and acceptable. The objectives can be used to develop instructional materials for any dispatcher training program. Lessons learned from this approach are discussed.