FRA/NTSB Looking To Screen Sleep Disordered Employees Off The Rails

[Guest ___]

Interesting news item that came across the wire recently. The NTSB and FRA are looking to pre-screen potential rail transport workers (railroad, light rail and mass transit workers) for sleep disorder prior to being hired on the job in light of several transit related incidents lately.

 

To me this is the most idiotic waste of time on the planet. Every railroad in North America provides books and training on the subject. I have three, one from Amtrak, NS and CSX clearly stating they are aware that it incredibly difficult for both the green horns and senior workers on the subject of changing one's sleep pastern.

 

New railroad and transit workers are assigned extra board in which can be called in to work with two hours of notice, day or night, regardless of schedules shifts. Furthermore senior transit and rail transport workers are never assigned a fixed shift. Shifts are always rotating on monthly or bi-monthly basis.

 

The way operations manages employee work billets are the problem, not the workers.

[Bernard]

I heard about this on the news radio yesterday along with a story of a LIRR engineer letting a passenger drive his train during rush hour.

[Guest ___]

That's sorta hard to almost believe. I ran a Pittsburgh LRT years ago that was out of revenue service along the 42L, but never with passengers.

[bikkuri bahn]

I heard about this on the news radio yesterday along with a story of a LIRR engineer letting a passenger drive his train during rush hour.

 

If true, just sad.  Totally unprofessional and frankly criminal.  Like a commercial airline pilot letting a passenger have a go at the controls...