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Yesterday, Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo praised the work of the Switching Operations Fatality Analysis (SOFA) Working Group and called on the rail industry to take more steps to help prevent employee deaths.

During the past five years, 55 train and engine-service employees have died while engaged in rail yard switching operations, FRA officials said in a prepared statement.  

SOFA is a decade-old voluntary workplace safety partnership. The current SOFA group comprises 11 railroaders, FRA facilitators, management consultants and representatives from the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, United Transportation Union, Association of American Railroads, and American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association.

A process evaluation titled “An Independent Evaluation of the Switching Operations Fatality Analysis 2010 Working Group’s Processes” lays the foundation for establishing future working group goals and objectives to ensure the safety of railroad yard employees and identify possible corrective actions that could prevent switching fatalities, the FRA said.

Data from the report indicates there has been a 60 percent reduction in fatalities as a result of securing equipment, a 70 percent decline as a result of protecting employees against moving equipment and a more than 80 percent decrease in fatalities related to communicating before taking an action, according to the FRA.

For more information on railroad safety and the SOFA program, follow this link to read an article ("Words, deeds and more") that's published in this month’s issue of Progressive Railroading.