Federal Transit Administration Sets New Safety Standards for Rail Transit Workers
The department’s new national safety standards require transit agencies to adopt safety programs and training to protect workers on or near tracks.
- By Robert Yaniz Jr.
- Nov 13, 2024
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced a first-of-its-kind regulation to enhance the safety of rail transit workers.
According to a recent release, this new nationwide rule requires rail transit agencies to adopt standardized worker protection measures to safeguard those working on or near rail tracks. Agencies will have one year to implement these programs, pending approval from State Safety Oversight Agencies (SSOAs).
"Transit workers deserve to know their safety is the highest priority when they're performing track work," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. "Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration, we now have the first-ever rule requiring worker protection standards for rail transit agencies that will keep American transit track workers safe as they do their important work to keep our transit systems operating."
The rule mandates that rail transit agencies establish Roadway Worker Protection (RWP) programs with safety elements such as job safety briefings and lone worker protections. Agencies must also create comprehensive training programs to educate workers on track safety and ensure any unsafe practices or conditions are reported. Rail transit agencies must update their safety manuals to align with these new requirements.
Between January 1, 2008, and June 30, 2024, 29 transit workers were killed and 144 were seriously injured while performing track work, according to data from the National Transit Database. This new regulation follows recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board and the FTA’s Transit Advisory Committee for Safety, which have advocated for measures to address worker safety on railways.
The rule also builds upon previous Biden-Harris Administration efforts to strengthen transit worker safety. These include directives to address the risk of assaults on transit workers and updates to safety plans aimed at protecting employees.
About the Author
Robert Yaniz Jr. is the Content Editor of Occupational Health & Safety.