I was wondering what king of color screening tests does Union Pacific or BNSF use when hiring people for train service positions?
I can’t speak for UP or BNSF, but I had my physical for NS yesterday and they used the Ishihara Color Plate test ( the one where you identify the number seen in the bunch of colored dots). I failed this test as I knew I would, and am hoping after review by the NS Medical officer I get a chance at the Farnsworth Lantern or yarn test, which I know I can pass. I would think the Fransworth test would be the one railroads would use anyway: it 's the one where you have to identify the three colored lights…kind of like a signal.
The test that CSX uses is a smiple color blindness test…the one with the circle with all the differnt colored dots that if your not color blind…show a number of some kind in it… if your color blind in one or more spectrums… you wont be able to see the number…
csx engineer
Expect an Ishihara test. Quite possibly a test called PIPIC which is similar and Ishihara compatible. A true Ishihara uses plates in a bound book, comes from Japan and is quite expensive. The compatible test uses plates typically in a spiral book and may also test for Yellow/Blue color blindness.
I would think that severe Red/Green blindness would be a huge issue for RR employment.
As I said in my original post, I failed the Ishihara ( 50% correct, 50% wrong)…I am also in the Coast Guard Reserve, and when I failed the Ishihara, they administered the Farnsworth, which I passed. I have to be able to see Red and Green in the CG to identify buoys and nav lights at night, which I have never had problems doing…do you think NS will give me a different test, or kick me to the curb?
All the vision tests the UP’s doctors that I’ve been to used the Ishihara test. I’ve heard of employees who failed it that were taken out into the field to look at actual signals to determine if they could distinguish colors. I don’t know if they allow applicants the same chance.
Jeff