The FRA issued a Safety Advisory on January 11, 2007 which addresses the safety of shoving or pushing movements in yards, including those involving remote control locomotives. The advisory also addresses the behavior of employees on or about tracks.
The Advisory was issued due to a recent fatal accident on December 14, 2006 in Manlius, New York, a suburb of Syracuse, in CSX Transportation, Inc.’s DeWitt Yard.
The fatality involving a carman struck by a remote control yard movement while he was backing a pickup truck onto an in-yard private railroad grade crossing (yard crossing). The circumstances surrounding the fatal accident is based on FRA’s preliminary investigation. The accident is still under investigation by FRA and local authorities. The causes and contributing factors, if any, have not yet been established.
The notice appeared in the January 18, 2007 Federal Register. You may go to the Federal Register to review and download a copy and read the Results of the Primary Investigation and Recommended Actions.
