NTSB Urges Railroads to End Hazardous Railcar-Riding Practice -- Occupational Health & Safety

An NTSB investigator wearing a blue hard hat and green jacket inspecting the metal tracks near a train car on a railway line.

NTSB Urges Railroads to End Hazardous Railcar-Riding Practice

Fourteen workers were killed and two were seriously injured in 16 accidents involving shoving movements investigated since October 2020.

By Danielle Naidu
Sep 24, 2026

Rail workers should no longer be required to ride moving equipment while monitoring the track during shoving movements, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended after investigating a series of fatal and serious accidents.

A shoving movement occurs when a locomotive pushes railcars while a worker provides point protection by checking that the track ahead is clear. Workers performing this task from the lead railcar can fall, be struck at grade crossings, become trapped between equipment and nearby structures or be pinned during collisions and derailments.

Since October 2020, the NTSB has investigated 16 accidents involving workers riding rail equipment during shoving movements. Fourteen workers died and two suffered serious injuries. The agency has opened two additional investigations since August.

The NTSB recommendations call on the Federal Railroad Administration and Class I railroads to prohibit workers from riding equipment to provide point protection and require safer alternatives. These may include monitoring the track from the ground or using vehicles, cameras and other technology.

Railroads should also conduct, document and regularly update site-specific hazard assessments before work begins, the NTSB said. Those assessments should address visibility, clearances, track and walkway conditions, grade crossings, switches and derails, as well as possible alternatives to riding equipment.

The agency recommended sharing assessment findings with affected employees and addressing identified hazards during pre-job safety briefings. It also asked the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association to inform its members about the risks associated with the practice.

About the Author

Danielle Naidu is assistant editor for Security Today, Campus Security Today, Occupational Health & Safety and Environmental Protection Online.

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