RONKS, Pa. — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered the Strasburg Rail Road to reinstate an employee fired for refusing to issue locomotive and conductor licenses to an untrained, unqualified management official.
The Department says OSHA investigated a whistleblower complaint by the employee, who claimed the firing came after refusing to issue the licenses for legal and safety reasons. As a result, OSHA ordered the railroad and one of its former officials to pay the employee $161,114 in back wages and interest, $10,000 in compensatory damages, and $50,000 in punitive damages. The company must also expunge the incident from the employee’s record.
The name of the employee was not released under Department of Labor rules regarding whistleblower complaints.
“The OSHA investigation found Strasburg Rail Road Co. wrongfully terminated the employee for exercising their protected right to raise safety concerns,” OSHA Regional Administrator Michael Rivera in Philadelphia said in a press release. “This case underscores the critical importance of protecting workers who prioritize safety and comply with federal regulations. Retaliation against employees who stand up for safety will not be tolerated.”
The railroad’s CEO, Eric Hoerner, told the news site Lancaster Online that the former official had resigned on his own and declined further comment. Former president and general manager Jim Hager — the fourth of five individuals to lead the company since November 2018, and who resigned early in 2024 — also declined to comment to Lancaster Online.
Strasburg RR whistle blower complaint?? Literally or figuratively??? 🙂
Kind of makes you wonder about their “Safety Culture”, doesn’t it? Especially in light of the recent accident to #475.
Of note is the enforcement action came from OSHA. The FRA does its level headed best to steer clear of tourist railroads. It took a low water explosion somewhere else in Pennsylvania to spawn 49CFR229. We REALLY don’t want a repeat of that or anything else that garners undue (Fed) attention.
I actually feel sorry for the RR. Here is a small paid organization with many volunteers where one person goes off track (pun intended) thinking he is all powerful by shortcutting safety items. The RR or for that fact any small organization cannot afford to put into place any oversight of such illegal or non-moral actions. The only thing worse than regulation is no regulation where it is in force.
The probable loss of many regulations the next 4 years will be telling. maybe much similar to the non=regulation period from early – mid 1920s to mid 1930s. Those lessons probably have been forgotten with them all to be learned again.
Just what a tourist railroad needs: a conductor/engineman who doesn’t have a clue yet was licensed by pressuring (bullying) a subordinate employee. Brilliant!
And the mope was a manager? C’mon Strasburg. You SHOULD know better, and besides karma along with the law can indeed be a bitch.