WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has today published Notices of Proposed Rulemaking that would require certification of dispatchers and signal employees, under provisions of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008.
The rule regarding dispatchers would require railroads to develop formal training programs, methods of verifying that dispatchers have the knowledge and skills to perform the job, and a process for revoking certification for dispatchers who violate specified minimum requirements.
It proposes a three-year limit on certification to ensure periodic reevaluation of dispatchers, with revocation of certification for one of eight reasons. Revocation would be for 30 days on the first event not related to use of drugs or alcohol, with increasing duration for subsequent events.
The rule for signal employees sets similar requirements for training, certification, and revocation, and also proposes a three-year limit for certification. It would revoke certification for 11 reason, again for 30 days for the first event and increasing duration for subsequent events.
Comment periods on both proposals run through July 31. Details on the commenting process are available on the links above to the Federal Register.
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