2.10 Other Industry-wide Committees and Working Groups

train and yard operating crew members other than conductors102. Like SMART-TD, it primarily engages in legislative and regulatory advocacy, and participates in industrywide safety committees and working groups like SOFA. Some of BLET’s current priorities are improved cab safety standards, continuing to require a minimum of twoperson crews in the locomotive cab, devoting more resources to prevent trespassing and handle trespassers, and addressing the security of the nation’s rail system against terrorist attacks.103

Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division (BMWED) BMWED, a division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, represents railroad employees involved in the maintenance of track and structures other than signals.104 In addition to legislative and regulatory advocacy and participation in safety committees and working groups like FAMES, BMWED has its own Department of Safety, which assists members and officers in addressing safety-related matters and seeks to improve health & safety conditions for maintenance-of-way workers through regulatory oversight, federal rulemaking, labor-management collaboration and health & safety education and training for members. The Department of Safety is responsible for preparing safety testimony and presentations for hearings and inquisitions of policy and lawmaking bodies, including RSAC, OSHA, FRA, NTSB and Congress. It also researches and files comments on proposed federal rulemakings and railroad requests for waivers from federal safety rules.105

Brotherhood of Railway Signalmen (BRS) BRS, an AFL-CIO affiliate, represents railroad employees and contractors involved in the construction and maintenance of signal systems and devices, including grade crossing warning devices. It educates its members about their rights and responsibilities under U.S. rail labor laws, including the reporting and resolution of safety-related incidents.106 Some local branches of BRS provide members with educational materials on safety topics including fatigue awareness, maintaining situational awareness, safe tool use, personal protective equipment, and fire and weather safety.107

2.10 Other Industry-Wide Committees and Working Groups Fatality Analysis of Maintenance-of-Way Employees and Signalmen (FAMES) Committee This voluntary committee of labor (BMWED and BRS), management (AAR and ASLRRA), and government reviews and analyzes roadway worker fatalities to define trends and determine how best to direct resources and adjust operating and training practices to reduce such fatalities. FAMES produces several reports annually on topics such as accidents involving boom, crane or other maintenance machine usage, bridge

worker safety, roadway worker safety at grade crossings, the use of electronic devices, and the importance of safety briefings.108

Switching and Operations Fatality Analysis (SOFA) Working Group This voluntary group made up of representatives of AAR, ASLRRA, FRA, SMART-TD and BLET aims to identify and eradicate the causes of fatalities occurring while switching and other railroad operations. Since its founding in 1998, its publications cover topics such as industrial track hazards (found to be responsible for one in five switching operations fatalities), adequate job briefings (also found to be responsible for one in five switching fatalities) and close clearance situations.109