Precision Railroading: What it is and How it May Affect You
Several railroads across the country have implemented a new service model called “Precision Scheduled Railroading,” also known as PSR. While railroad board rooms have praised this model as a way to “maximize capacity and yield the greatest efficiency,” PSR is essentially a cost-cutting measure—a corporate strategy to boost freight volume and increase profits for railroad shareholders. As a result, PSR has created new challenges and safety hazards for railroad employees, and it is important that workers are aware of these issues and report safety hazards if they encounter them while on the job.
A concept originally developed in the 1990s by a railroad executive, PSR is a practice that focuses on picking up railcars on a fixed schedule, without considering how adding railcars would affect the length of train. Part of PSR practices can also include operating trains with fewer crew members. Railroads claim that this practice provides “more reliable service” to their freight customers who are receiving products transported on these railcars. In reality, this is a thinly veiled attempt to increase profits for the railroads by maximizing their freight traffic, while placing less of a priority on railroad safety. By increasing trains’ length and cutting down workers for their freight operations, railroads are needlessly exposing their employees to an increased risk of safety hazards. Consequences of PSR include the following:
- Increased responsibility for each train crew employee where crew sizes are reduced. This results in additional work and creates a rushed work environment and contributes to a stressed/fatigued work force.
- Greater chance for derailment due to lengthy trains;
- Service delays due to reduced workforce;
- Reduction in quality of train inspections by carmen, leading to a risk of increased safety hazards on trains;
- Lack of experience by employees who have to take on new, unfamiliar roles/responsibilities in a reduced crew; and
- Potential risk of increased collision with long trains on networks where Positive Train Control is not implemented.
The practice of PSR, coupled with new restrictive railroad attendance policies, creates an environment where employees are overworked, fatigued, and under significant pressure to meet unrealistic, time-sensitive freight deadlines. It is critical that employees try their best to stay alert and attentive under these circumstances. If they detect unsafe working conditions or equipment, they should immediately report those hazards, in writing, to railroad managers, and retain a copy of those written complaints for their records. Employees should then provide a copy to their local union representative. Railroad employees should also report to management if they are too overworked and cannot safely complete their work in the limited time frame provided.
Importantly, railroaders are protected from being disciplined or terminated under the Federal Rail Safety Act in response to reporting certain safety concerns at work. As a result, it is unlawful for the railroad to take any sort of employment revenge against its employees for voicing their concerns about specific safety-related issues, and employees should be vigilant about reporting safety matters to management.
Should you have any questions about precision railroading, or questions regarding safety hazards, unsafe work conditions, or equipment, do not hesitate to contact our office.
Article by Scott Gershenson, Counsel
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