Action
Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
Summary
FRA proposes to amend its regulations on railroad workplace safety to reduce further the risk of serious injury or death to roadway workers. In particular, FRA proposes to require that railroads adopt specified on-track safety procedures to protect certain roadway work groups from the movement of trains or other on-track equipment on "adjacent controlled track." FRA proposes to define "adjacent controlled track" to mean "a controlled track whose track center is spaced 19 feet or less from the track center of the occupied track." These on-track safety procedures would be required for each adjacent controlled track when a roadway work group with at least one of the roadway workers on the ground is engaged in a common task with an on- track roadway maintenance machine or coupled equipment on an occupied track. FRA also proposes to require that railroads, contractors to railroads, and roadway workers comply with these procedures. The NPRM issued as "Notice No. 1" under this same docket number and published July 17, 2008 (73 FR 41214), was withdrawn by "Notice No. 2" published August 13, 2008 (73 FR 47124).