WASHINGTON — The lack of a standardized process for how and where to be positioned when operating a hand brake was the probable cause of a serious injury to a Hulcher Services Inc. employee during a rerailing operation last year at the Port of Stockton, Calif., the National Transportation Safety Board said in a newly released report.
In the March 11, 2025, incident, an assistant division management trainee moved between a rubber-tire loader and a railcar to release a hand brake. That caused the railcar to roll toward the loader, pinning the trainee between the car and loader as he attempted to reapply the handbrake. He was taken to a hospital for treatment of six fractured ribs, a collapsed lung, and fluid in his lungs.
The injured man was part of an eight-person Hulcher crew under contract with the Central California Traction Co. to rerail four cars that had derailed the previous day.
An NTSB investigation found that while Hulcher’s field training for hand brake operation was effective, its written handbook did not clearly specify where an employee should be positioned to operate a handbrake — a gap between written procedures and local training that can lead to crew members interpreting the proper application of rules on their own. After the incident, Hulcher added a rule into its Safe Practices Handbook addressing proper procedures.
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