Portable Derails
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Safety Advisory 2022–01; Use of
Portable Derails
AGENCY: Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of safety advisory.
SUMMARY: FRA is issuing Safety
Advisory 2022–01 to emphasize the
importance of, first, ensuring that
portable derails are clearly visible to
train crews and operators of other on-
track equipment, particularly at night
and in other low-light conditions; and,
second, having processes in place to
ensure portable derails are removed
when not necessary for on-track safety.
This Safety Advisory recommends that
railroads, and railroad contractors,
review and revise their on-track safety
manuals, as necessary, to ensure they
include procedures and rules for the use
of portable derails.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Yu-
Jiang Zhang, Staff Director, Track and
Structures Division, Office of Railroad
Safety, FRA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue
SE, Washington, DC 20590, telephone:
(202) 493–6460, email: yujiang.zhang@
Disclaimer: This Safety Advisory is
considered guidance pursuant to DOT
Order 2100.6A (June 7, 2021). Except
when referencing laws, regulations,
policies, or orders, the information in
this Safety Advisory does not have the
force and effect of law and is not meant
to bind the public in any way. This
document does not revise or replace any
previously issued guidance.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On August 29, 2022, a train crew
operating in a railroad yard at night
encountered a portable derail placed on
the track earlier that day to protect
multiple engineering work groups
working on the track. The train crew,
which did not see the derail, operated
their train directly into the derail,
striking it at approximately nine miles
per hour and derailing the first two cars
of their train. The conductor, who was
riding the lead car, was fatally injured
when the car rolled over.
FRA’s blue signal protection (BSP)
requirements have long required
mechanical derails to be used for the
protection of workers on, under, or
between rolling equipment to have a
blue light illuminated at night. See 49
CFR part 218, subpart B. Typically, in
BSP work areas (e.g., mechanical shops),
derails are located at known or fixed
locations. Roadway workers, however,
use portable maintenance-of-way
(MOW) derails, which may be installed
almost anywhere on non-controlled
track for protection.1 Because portable
MOW derails are not required to be
marked or otherwise illuminated for
conspicuity, even under conditions of
limited visibility, they can become
hazards themselves if not highly visible
in low-light conditions. Accordingly,
best practice dictates that portable
derails installed on track should be
equipped with a portable light or, at a
minimum, reflectorized flags in low-
light conditions.
In addition, portable derails should
not be left on the track when they are
no longer necessary. For example, some
railroads require their roadway workers
in charge (RWICs) to fill out a form
before installing the portable derails.
This form typically requires the RWIC to
record the date, location, installation
time, and removal time of the portable
derail. Formalizing the process for
installation and removal of portable
derails heightens the awareness of the
presence of portable derails and the
importance of removing these derails
from the track when they are no longer
necessary.
FRA notes that some railroads require
employees to place a tag on the steering
wheel of their hi-rail vehicles when
placing shunts on the track. A similar
process for placing portable derails
would safeguard against roadway
workers unintentionally leaving
portable derails on the track.
Recommendations
In light of the above discussion, FRA
recommends that railroads and railroad
contractors:
1. Review with their employees the
circumstances of the fatal accident
described in this Safety Advisory.
2. Review and revise as necessary,
their on-track safety manuals to ensure
the use of portable derails is adequately
addressed and, at a minimum, that these
manuals:
a. Provide that portable derails be
equipped with a functioning light or a
reflectorized flag when used at night or
under other conditions of limited
visibility; and
b. Include procedures to ensure that
portable derails are removed when no
longer necessary, such as procedures to
track the location and use of portable
derails.
FRA encourages all railroad industry
members to take actions consistent with
the recommendations of this Safety
Advisory. FRA may modify this Safety
Advisory, issue additional safety
advisories, or take other appropriate
action necessary to ensure the highest
level of safety on the Nation’s railroads,
including pursuing other corrective
measures under its rail safety authority.
Issued in Washington, DC.
John Karl Alexy,
Associate Administrator for Railroad Safety
Chief Safety Officer.
[FR Doc. 2022–23486 Filed 10–27–22; 8:45 am]
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