New Audit Announcements

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Human factors, including fatigue, remain the leading cause of reportable non-grade crossing train accidents. To address fatigue-related safety risks, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) oversees compliance with hours of service (HOS) laws and regulations, which prescribe railroad employee maximum time on duty and minimum rest hours. Given the impact of operational practices changes on staffing spurred by precision scheduled railroading and that human factors, including fatigue, continue to be a leading cause of non-grade crossing train accidents, we are initiating this audit. Our objective is to evaluate FRA’s oversight of railroad HOS and fatigue management.