It’s my understanding that TY&E employees on BNSF will be required in the near future to wear high visibility vests anytime they are on the ground in or around their train. Other railroads around the U.S. and Canada have already required this for several years. My question is, do Engineers on those railroads where this policy is in place constantly sound the engine’s whistle and bell as required under the Roadway Worker Safety Legislation whenever you are passing by operating crew members on the ground wearing this reflective workwear? Or, is there a distinction between operating crews and Roadway Workers (M of W, Signal, etc.) that this law was originally directed towards preventing these employees from getting struck by a passing train?
There is no distinction. T&E employees on the ground are as likely to be struck as MofW.
I do not know what the Official BNSF Policy is, but I can say that anyone seen working around on the railroad and its ROW , here in central Kansas wears a hard hat, and reflective vest when working.
The safety vest issue is being pushed by FRA and will become a requirement at some date in the near future. Totally disagree w/ having this being forced but just like everything else, learn to live w/ it.
I do not know about the FRA but in the airline industry OSHA has really been pushing vests on ramps especially cargo ramps and the FAA has been pushing at the behest of OSHA. Maybe OSHA for RR crews on the ground?
This is a good thing and has been evolving since 1995 and the original On-Track Safety rules. It used to be an “orange only” rule which has been relaxed to allow flourescent green/yellow in recent history. I also liked the NS, BNSF and UP rules in certain parts of the country including PRB that had new employees (probies) wearing the yellow while all others wore orange. (My survey crews, as a practical matter, have both colors of vests issued to them…I am also a firm believer in reflective material, especially at dusk and at night.)
If you were wearing the wrong color or no vests, it was obvious who didn’t belong. (I’ve gotta find the photo of that bunch of northern California UPRR switch monkey/ ground pounders in their tie-died overalls and shirts that blinded you to look at them!)
Getting train crews to wear hardhats on worktrains was always a struggle for me during pre-rule days.
I have a vest, and have been making it a habit to wear it when I’m working on the ground or the equipment. We’re fortunate to have the road pretty much to ourselves, but anything that helps us keep track of each other can’t be a bad thing.
ANSI 3 is already the rule of the day for firefighters working on the highway. While the rule has been relaxed just a bit to allow for turnout gear which has suitable reflective/high-vis characteristics, but I’d prefer to have the vest on, too. This winter I’ve been wearing an ANSI 3 jacked as normal outerwear. People keep telling me that they sure can see me, to which I reply that that is the point.
We are required on UP to wear them. TE&Y green, MoW orange. And yes, we must whistle by men and equipment.
I am required to whistle to men and equipment of MOW. not other engine crew. but i will if they dont seem to wave as i approach.
Now for the stupid rules and vest, It should be options of the employee on duty if he wants to wear it, You guys come off with this OH isnt he cute and look I can see him, We should get all our guys to wear these so we can see them and trainmasters cant miss them. BULL JUNK, that is the reason we dont want to wear these things so we cant be seen, while you guys are stumbling around like all the other MOW people, and by the time prime time movies start at home your vest is off and your watching tv. while men and woman who work for a living are still out here, Now if I worked out of a yard it might be ok, but my yards are in the ghetto and we dont even have the lantern on we wear dark clothers nobody sees us working on the ground
more than once we have seen trainmasters trying to sneek up on us and we have the work done or just air hoses left to couple up and the conductor would make it to the head end not seen we start pulling only to be stopped by trainmasters wanting to chat, When the people who want you to wear these things will come out to the ghetto and make pick ups and set outs at 1-4am time when the drive by shootings and the girls who are working and other self-employeed misfits are out then i will be glad to enforce this stupid rule. otherwise let the daytime only look at me crowd wear what they want
Just follow the rules and be quiet already. Last time whiners complained and complained, I lost my ability to make extra money.
yeah, real hard work to move those levers. Yeah I know, I know, sometimes you have to reach up to hit the AC reset button, or the auto-shutoff delay button behind you.
I’ll take my “real work” over those guys slinging ties and ballast in the 95 degree sun any day.
I never worry about the trainmasters, cause I aint doin nothin wrong. Let them watch me til the cows come home.
Now ive also had to get up and wake the conductor up and they like to rise swinging,
And if I had a nickel every time I had to wake up the hogger to tell him the DS just lit us up…
Or when they shout over to me “what was that last signal??!!!”
Yeah.
They use ice cold water on me.
I never said that we was angels but we are very close ( snikering) ive been woke up a few times but some of the stories you conductors tell would put god to sleep. and as far as signals go most of the conductors cant tell there colors anyways. that is why they make set outs no bigger than 10 cars, for obvious reasons.and why you wear gloves instead of mittens.
I once made the mistake of walking home with my lantern turned on. The damn engineer followed me the whole way to my front door.
ROFLMAO that is good and i wont even try to beat it. your the KING[bow]
GREATEST LINE EVER
To you whiners - go to Wally world and get a pacifier.
As an IS, I am all for things that are going to minimize the risk to my workers out there. To your folks that complain about them, I do understand about them making a better target, but in the long run, fewer folks are going to get killed or hurt.