Responding to my recent post about Metro North Railroad’s Spuyten Duyvil train derailment, Colin O’Keefe of LXBN interviewed me regarding the culture of rail safety on our nations railroads, and the external and internal factors that make it so subpar. Rail employees are the eyes and ears of safety on the property, but recently Congress and OSHA’s Whistleblower Directorate have confirmed
Railroad Accidents
Fatal Metro North Passenger Train Derailment Last Straw
By Charlie Goetsch on
Posted in Railroad Accidents
Enough is enough. The time has come to transform the safety culture of our nation’s railroads, starting with Metro North. Today’s fatal crash of a Metro North passenger train in New York (the third derailment in recent months) is a wake up call that something must change, and that something is an unsafe workplace culture…
FRA Requires Stronger Rail Cars
By Charlie Goetsch on
Starting in March, commuter rail cars must be built with stronger front-end frames to better protect passengers during collisions. click here This is good news, but underscores the importance of avoiding collisions in the first place. How? Rail workers are the eyes and ears of safety on the tracks. If they hestitate to raise…
Railroad Workers Gain New Protection Against Retaliation For Injuries
By Charlie Goetsch on
As the saying goes, knowledge is power. Here’s an amazing new law that every rail worker should know about. The Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA), 29 U.S.C. Section 20109, hands employees a shield and a sword to fight back against rail managers who heretofore have retaliated against workers with impunity.
The FRSA prohibits retaliation…