While fatigue in the railroad workplace is a widely acknowledged issue, a new study released by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on June 15 examines the impact of fatigue on train crews as they commute to and from work.
The 72-page fatigue study is titled “The Impact of Commute Times on the Fatigue and Safety of Locomotive Engineers and Conductors.” More than 9,000 railroad workers — 4,497 locomotive engineers and 4,587 conductors — participated in an online survey as part of the study, which was conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in collaboration with the BLET and the FRA.
According to the survey’s findings, experiencing fatigue related symptoms during commuting to and from work can result in a “very real prevalence and danger not just to the driver, but also to the public and other road users.” Train crews with commutes of more than 60 minutes were 3 to 6 times more likely to experience a fatigue-related driving event (for example, nodding off behind the wheel or drifting out of traffic lanes) than those with a short commute.
The study identified the major contributors to rail worker fatigue, which include scheduling, or lack thereof in the case of irregular work. Variability in start times and frequent switching from day to night work were also associated with increased risk of fatigue for locomotive engineers and conductors.
Poor train lineups were identified as a major issue. “Interestingly, despite over 90 percent of locomotive engineers and conductors reporting that they were provided with a train lineup, which theoretically should reduce some uncertainty and unpredictability associated with their schedules, around three-quarters of locomotive engineers and conductors indicated that the information provided in the lineup was very unreliable. Having to operate with unreliable information may contribute to fatigue and levels of stress,” the survey said.
The survey also seemed to support the need for two-person train crews in the locomotive cab for an added layer of safety and to help mitigate fatigue. Survey respondents said the most frequently used and the most effective strategy when coping with fatigue was locomotive engineers and conductors talking to one another.
To download the full report as a PDF, please visit the FRA’s website here.