WASHINGTON – The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a safety bulletin to ensure that railroads are aware of a Sept. 1 switching accident that resulted in the amputation of a conductor’s leg.
The FRA is investigating the incident, which occurred on a railroad that the agency did not identify.
“A switching crew, comprised of a locomotive engineer and conductor, was preparing to service an industry. The crew lined their 12-car train towards a storage track and ‘kicked’ one empty hopper car onto that track. The track already had secured cars situated about 500 feet away from the location where the car was kicked,” FRA said. “The crew then pulled out of the storage track to service the industry, and the conductor realigned the switch for the industry track to spot 3 of the remaining 11 cars. As the train started moving onto the industry track, the conductor riding point to protect the shove move noticed the empty hopper car they had previously ‘kicked’ rolling back towards them. After instructing the engineer to stop the train, via radio, the conductor dismounted and rushed towards the hopper car. In his attempt to apply the car’s handbrake, the conductor fell in the gauge of the rail where the car ran over the lower part of his body, resulting in the amputation of his left leg and severe injury to the other. The conductor had less than 2 years of railroad experience.”
In light of the accident, FRA asked railroads to ensure that:
- Operating rules and practices address hazards associated with kicking cars.
- Employees receive adequate field training to enable them to recognize risks associated with improperly secured kicked cars and understand proper procedures for responding to a rolling car, mounting equipment, and applying handbrakes safely.
- All employees are reminded of the importance of proper securement protocols for unattended equipment.
New conductors seem to kick uphill a lot.
I never kicked cars uphill unless I could clearly see it was coupling onto the standing equipment. And if there was a brakeman they would be riding the car in.
As CDR Montgomery Scott will say, “you cannot change the laws of Physics.” If you kick a car upgrade, it will obey gravity, roll to a stop, and come back.
The practice of kicking cars was a commonly used and safe method switching… until there was only one person left on the ground to perform switching moves. It can still be done, but intimate knowledge of the area, grade characteristics and equipment is a must.
Thomas Dupee, absolutely CORRECT. You gotta know the territory, INTIMATLY or just flat switch the darn things. Watching and learning from the senior yard guys, learning the lay of each yard track (yes they can all be different) and being just a little bit scared of the operation…makes for safe switching. The minute you get too confident, that’s when you get bit.