As part of the ongoing efforts to address the issues contributing to employee fatigue, FRA will now be requiring Class 1 railroads, Amtrak, and commuter railroads to submit fatigue risk management plans. The agency will be reviewing the plans on an annual basis.
The agency states “FRA recognizes that fatigue of railroad employees is a long-standing concern and challenge in the railroad industry. Accordingly, this rule is just one of several ongoing FRA efforts designed to address the adverse impacts and underlying causes of fatigue in the railroad industry. FRA is aware that consultation on some [risk reduction program] plans has not met the spirit of this statutory requirement. The intent of consultation is to engage with directly affected employees at all stages of plan development and program implementation. Ideally, railroads will look to their directly affected employees as partners throughout the process rather than as reviewers of a finished product. FRA expects consultation on [fatigue risk management] plans will genuinely involve good faith and best efforts. FRA will separately provide further guidance on its expectations of the consultation process.”
Transportation Trades Department President, Greg Regan, said “This rule provides a solid framework for continued engagement between labor unions and the FRA to ensure that employers are providing working conditions that keep workers and the public safe. We are confident the final results of this study will show that fatigue is linked to worsening workplace conditions for these workers.”
This final rule will be effective as of July 13, 2022.
FRA requiring railroads to submit worker fatigue management plans
