Only if they want to keep their jobs…
Glad to see you recognize the abuse. But for the last 30 years or so, between unions and whistle-blower laws plus some guts, it doesn’t have to be that way automatically.
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No different than any other industry.
Years ago, employee timetables had lists of company doctors. Back when road travel was difficult, just about every town of any size had a company doctor. Often the company doctor was the only doctor.
I viewed the aftermath of an injury (Sprained ankle, we used an ice pack out of my cooler on it.) to a student conductor. There were three local officers who came out to “persuade” him not to seek professional medical help. He was taken off the train, but is now a conductor with a some years under his belt.
While the persuasion is bad enough, it’s the following treatment of employees, up to and including firing them, that’s worse. While I’m sure some of the pressure to keep an injury from being “reportable” hasn’t changed, I think the retaliation has generally increased for anything over a minor injury. I suspect that this is due because railroads are covered by FELA, the Federal Employer’s Liability Act, instead of Workman’s Compensation. Under FELA, an injured employee either accepts what a railroad claim agent offers for damages or the employee has to sue the railroad. I expect that compensation for injuries is greater under FELA and awards have probably been rising.
Jeff
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I have UNDERLINED and highlighted; what I considered to be the main ‘issues’ that Jeff Mentioned in his Thread ENTRY…
Similarly, the linked article (by Pro Publica) mentioned,by O.P. Also,MENTIONED THE Threats in various forms of ‘persuasion’ to dissuade an ‘injured’ employee ffrom seeking spoecific medical attentions.
Mana
Likely not true, but even if it were, that doesn’t make it ok.
NO repeat NO company WANTS to pay out on injury claims.
There are people who ‘make a living’ going from company to company and getting ‘injured’ shortly after being put in the ‘work force’ normally in some form of ‘training’ position and getting ‘injured’ while on duty. They will ‘MILK’ the company for whatever ‘medical & therapy’ they can and will negotiate a ‘injury settlement’ and then move on to the next pegion for their scam. THEY DO EXIST.
There are legit injuries as well as scam injuries. If a company develops a reputation as a ’
All injuries from paper cuts to loss of limbs should be reportable. Even a small injury can morph into something major or catastrophic, and officials, unless they’re doctors, have no way of determining that. I’ve seen it a few times myself… a sprained ankle turns into a permanant limp…a bump on the head turns into a brain bleed… a small cut becomes infected and results in something far more serious. It goes on and gets worse as the workforce gets older. Report everything!
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Had a Clerk, a known practical joker, submit a injury form - shoved paper clip underneath his finger nail. Happened on the night shift with no non-contract supervisory personnel on site. Knowing the individual, I considered it one of his ‘practical jokes’ until I got the hospital bill.
I used to deliver parts to caterpillar factories way back in my life before becoming disabled. The standard joke among their employees was no one ever died in the plants regardless of whatever they physically died from. Then this accident happened
A guy literally fell into the foundry at their casting plant and was incinerated.
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This is from the Kent (Ohio) Tribune of March, 1924, recounting the 54-year career of W.E. Nichols of the Erie (and previously the A&GW RR). Notice his record for time off due to illness or injury. This was the day when the Erie had three or so doctors in Kent available to them. This was also old-time railroading, and “walk it off” was probably something the company doctor sometimes “prescribed.”
Truly amazing - head on collision and a sideswipe with the engine turning over and he wasn’t ‘injured’ in either incident. Truly a ‘Iron Man’.
Here’s an interesting look at statistics for the first SIX months of 1930 showing deaths on one railroad alone (and they’re bragging about the reduction!)
NYC_deaths_1930 by Edmund, on Flickr
Yard and Road brakemen seem to take the brunt of fatalities with section laborers close behind. Careful observance of rules 4007 and 4008 would have prevented most deaths of being struck by engines or cars.
It’s all the fault of these rule breakers!
Cheers, Ed
gmpullman: Those are some awful statistics for 1930.
Here are illustrations from 1877 and 1890 which tell the story of a brakeman’s life in the 19th century. This job would be my nomination for Worst Job in Railroad History:
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Stemwinder brakes are bad enough - having to apply and release such apparatus on the top of cars of a moving train during inclement weather.
One guest at a Christmas party thrown by my wife and I was the son and grandson of NYC employees. The grandfather was hit by a locomotive when cleaning snow off of a light, and the father had to take up the slack by starting work for the NYC at age 14.
The electric divisions of the Milwaukee Road had a number of fatalities before the management got serious about electrical safety.
The human price of link-and-pin couplers.
Count the missing fingers on these B&O railroaders from (I think) Cumberland:
Tis but a scratch (Monty Python)
