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On Nov. 25, the Senate passed the Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act (S. 1402), according to a news item on United Transportation Union’s Web site.

The bill would require the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee to determine and recommend to Congress necessary legislative or regulatory changes to better manage train and engine-service workers’ fatigue.

S. 1402 also would mandate that the U.S. Department of Transportation develop new positive train-control safety rules, and require railroads to periodically report every accident involving an injury and every incident involving equipment or roadbed damage.

"The bill's provisions have the effect of telling railroad management to stop taking employee lives for granted and pay greater attention to workplace safety, including fatigue," said UTU International President Byron Boyd Jr. in a prepared statement

The bill will be considered by the House when Congress reconvenes early next year. The legislation has drawn bi-partisan support and likely will become law by spring, UTU officials said.