Safety
North Dakota adjusts oil conditioning requirement following federal oil train decision
(Source: Bismarck Tribune, August 21, 2020) BISMARCK, N.D. — State regulators changed requirements for oil conditioning on Thursday to address part of a federal agency’s decision earlier this year regarding oil trains. The North Dakota Industrial Commission voted to require that oil’s vapor pressure be conditioned to no more than 14.7 pounds per square inch,…
Read MoreTSB: ‘Ice jacking’ led to CN train derailment
(Source: Progressive Railroading 08/17/2020) Snow and ice buildup underneath a rail led to the derailment in February of a CN crude-oil train in Emo, Ontario, according to a Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) report. The train derailed Feb. 18 on a curve as it traveled from Winnipeg to Fort Frances, Ontario, on CN’s Sprague and Fort Frances…
Read MoreOSHA: Department of Labor orders Norfolk Southern to reinstate employee after being terminated for reporting injury
(Source: U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) press release, June 12, 2020) ATLANTA, Ga. — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has ordered Norfolk Southern Railway Corp. to reinstate and pay more than $150,000 in back wages after terminating an employee for reporting an on-the-job injury at…
Read MoreRail union warns members about coronavirus exposure
(Source: Progressive Railroading 06/24/2020) The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division-IBT announced late last week a rash of positive coronavirus cases among its members at several major railroads. The BMWED estimated 109 members were affected by a coronavirus exposure. Of those,15 individuals tested positive, while the remaining 94 are on required self-contained quarantine, union officials announced…
Read MoreCongressional hearing highlights COVID-19 impact on transportation workers
(Source: Progressive Railroading 06/10/2020) The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I) yesterday held a hearing on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on transportation workers. In his opening statement, T&I Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) noted that few industries have been hit harder by the pandemic than transportation. “Providing an essential service, transportation workers have continued to…
Read More