In an effort to improve safety on America’s passenger railways, the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) recently issued a new, final rule requiring all passenger railroads to more proactively identify and address potential safety hazards across their full operations.

Dubbed the System Safety Program (SSP), the rule mandates that passenger railroads nationwide meet with directly affected employees within eight months of its publication to discuss options and plans. Among the features that must be developed and implemented with each customized SSP plan are:

• A defined and measurable safety culture;
• A process for identification of potential safety hazards in all operations;
• A strategy to reduce or eliminate those hazards;
• And policies governing how they’ll document and demonstrate compliance with FRA regulations. 

FRA officials say the agency will provide technical assistance in setting, achieving and measuring safety culture and other elements of SSP regulation.

“Safety has to be a consistent priority, and that means identifying problems before they escalate and turn into an incident,” FRA Administrator Sarah E. Feinberg said. “This new rule will help passenger railroads achieve the next generation of rail safety.”

“The System Safety Program rule includes proactive hazard analysis as a standard approach to identifying and addressing significant safety issues,” added FRA’s Chief Safety Officer Robert C. Lauby. “I believe that this approach will be key for the next level of safety.”

Visit the FRA’s website to read the complete rule.

We here at Jacksonville’s Rail Justice applaud efforts to improve rail safety for passengers, employees and vendors. If you or someone you love suffers an injury or loss while riding or working on a train, call 888-519-RAIL to speak with a railroad injury attorney.