[Federal Register: September 25, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 185)]
[Notices]
[Page 55823-55825]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25se06-65]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Railroad Administration
Docket No. [FRA-2000-7257; Notice No. 37]
Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC); Working Group Activity
Update
AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Announcement of Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC)
Working Group Activities.
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SUMMARY: The FRA is updating its announcement of RSAC's Working Group
activities to reflect its current status.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Butera or Lydia Leeds, RSAC
Coordinator, FRA, 1120 Vermont Avenue, NW., Mailstop 25, Washington, DC
20590, (202) 493-6212/6213 or Grady Cothen, Deputy Associate
Administrator for Safety, FRA, 1120 Vermont Avenue, NW., Mailstop 25,
Washington, DC 20590, (202) 493-6302.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice serves to update FRA's last
announcement of working group activities and status reports of May 12,
[[Page 55824]]
2006, (71 FR 27781). The 29th full Committee meeting was held May 18,
2006.
Since its first meeting in April of 1996, the RSAC has accepted
twenty-two tasks. Status for each of the tasks is provided below:
Open Tasks
Task 96-4--Reviewing the appropriateness of the agency's current
policy regarding the applicability of existing and proposed regulations
to tourist, excursion, scenic, and historic railroads. This Task was
accepted on April 2, 1996, and a Working Group was established. The
Working Group monitored the steam locomotive regulation task. Planned
future activities involve the review of other regulations for possible
adaptation to the safety needs of tourist and historic railroads.
Contact: Grady Cothen, (202) 493-6302.
Task 97-2--Evaluating the extent to which environmental, sanitary,
and other working conditions in locomotive cabs affect the crew's
health and the safe operation of locomotives, proposing standards where
appropriate. This Task was accepted June 24, 1997.
(Sanitation) (Completed)
(Noise exposure) On June 27, 2003, the full RSAC gave consensus by
ballot on the NPRM. The NPRM was published in the Federal Register on
June 23, 2004. The comment period ended September 21, 2004. Task Force
and Working Group meetings were held March 1, and March 2 and 3, 2005,
respectively, to review the public comments and recommend a final rule.
The Working Group reached agreement on all issues, and its report was
presented to the full Committee on May 18, 2005. The final rule is in
review and clearance.
(Cab Temperature) (Completed)
Note: Additional related topics such as vibration may be
considered by the Working Group in the future. Contact: Jeffrey
Horn, (202) 493-6283.
Task 03-01--Passenger Safety. This Task was accepted on May 20,
2003, and a Working Group was established. Prior to embarking on
substantive discussions of a specific task, the Working Group set forth
in writing a specific description of the task. The Working Group will
report any planned activity to the full Committee at each scheduled
full RSAC meeting, including milestones for completion of projects and
progress toward completion. At the first meeting held September 9-10,
2003, a consolidated list of issues was completed. At the second
meeting held November 6-7, 2003, four task groups were established:
emergency preparedness; mechanical-general issues; mechanical-safety
appliances; and track/vehicle interaction. The task groups met and
reported on activities for Working Group consideration at the third
meeting held May 11-12, 2004, and a fourth meeting was held October 26-
27, 2004. The Working Group met on March 21-22, 2006, and tentatively
agreed to establish a task force on General Passenger Safety. The
Working Group met September 12-13, 2006, and activated the General
Passenger Safety Task Force.
(Emergency Preparedness) At the Working Group meeting of March 9-
10, 2005, the Working Group received and approved the consensus report
of the Emergency Preparedness Task Force related to emergency egress
and rescue access. These recommendations were presented to and approved
by the full Committee on May 18, 2005. The Working Group met on
September 7-8, 2005, and additional, supplementary recommendations were
presented to and accepted by the full RSAC on October 11, 2005. An NPRM
on Emergency Systems was published on August 24, 2006, and is open for
comments until October 23, 2006.
(General Mechanical) Initial recommendations on mechanical issues
(revisions to 49 CFR Part 238) were approved by the full Committee on
January 26, 2005. At the Working Group meeting of September 7-8, 2005,
the task force presented additional perfecting amendments and the full
RSAC approved them on October 11, 2005. An NPRM was published in the
Federal Register on December 8, 2005, (70 FR 73070). Public comments
were due by February 17, 2006. FRA is currently preparing a final rule.
(Passenger Equipment Crashworthiness) The Crashworthiness Task
Force provided consensus recommendations on static end strength that
were adopted by the Working Group on September 7-8, 2005. The full
Committee accepted the recommendations on October 11, 2005. The FRA is
preparing an NPRM.
(Vehicle/Track Interaction) The task force is developing proposed
revisions to Parts 213 and 238 principally regarding high-speed
passenger service. Contact: Charles Bielitz, (202) 493-6314.
Task 05-01--Review of Roadway Worker Protection issues. This Task
was accepted on January 26, 2005, to review 49 CFR 214, Subpart C,
Roadway Worker Protection, and related sections of Subpart A; recommend
consideration of specific actions to advance the on-track safety of
railroad employees and contractors engaged in maintenance-of-way
activities throughout the general system of railroad transportation,
including clarification of existing requirements. A Working Group has
been established and will report to the RSAC any specific actions
identified as appropriate. The first meeting of the Working Group was
held on April 12-14, 2005. The Working Group will report planned
activity to the full Committee at each scheduled Committee meeting,
including milestones for completion of projects and progress toward
completion. The Working Group met on June 22-24, 2005, August 8-11,
2005, September 20-22, 2005, November 8-9, 2005, January 10-11, 2006,
February 1-2, 2006, March 15-16, 2006, April 11-12, 2006, and August
22-23, 2006. To date, the group has drafted and accepted regulatory
language for various revisions, clarifications, and additions to 16
sections of the rule. The next Working Group meeting is being planned
for November, 2006. A meeting is scheduled for January 17-18, 2007,
with the final meeting scheduled for February 27-28, 2007. Contact:
Christopher Schulte, (202) 493-6251.
Task 05-02--Reduce Human Factor-Caused Train Accident/Incidents.
This Task was accepted on May 18, 2005, to reduce the number of human
factor-caused train accidents/incidents and related employee injuries.
A Working Group was established. The Working Group will report any
planned activity to the full Committee at each scheduled full RSAC
meeting, including milestones for completion of projects and progress
toward completion. The Working Group met on July 12-13, 2005, August
31--September 1, 2005, September 28-29, 2005, October 25-26, 2005,
November 16-17, 2005, and December 6-7, 2005. The final Working Group
meeting devoted to developing a proposed rule was held February 8-9,
2006. The Working Group was not able to deliver a consensus regulatory
proposal, but did recommend that it be used to review comments on FRA's
forthcoming NPRM, which is under development with the Working Group's
discussion draft as its basis. Contact: Douglas Taylor, (202) 493-6255.
Task 06-01--Locomotive Safety Standards. This task was accepted on
February 22, 2006, to review Title 49 CFR Part 229, Railroad Locomotive
Safety Standards, and revise as appropriate. A Working Group has been
established. The Working Group will report any planned activity to the
full Committee at each scheduled full RSAC meeting, including
milestones for completion of projects and progress
[[Page 55825]]
toward completion. The first Working Group meeting was held May 8-10,
2006. The Working Group met on August 8-9, 2006, and the next meeting
is scheduled for September 25-26, 2006. Contact: George Scerbo, (202)
493-6249.
Task 06-02--Track Safety Standards and Continuous Welded Rail.
Section 9005 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (Pub. L. No. 109-59,
``SAFETEA-LU''), the 2005 surface transportation authorization act,
requires FRA to issue requirements for inspection of joint bars in
continuous welded rail (CWR) to detect cracks that could affect the
integrity of the track structure. 49 U.S.C. 20142(e). FRA published an
Interim Final Rule establishing new requirements for inspections on
November 2, 2005, (70 FR 66288). On October 11, 2005, FRA offered the
RSAC a task to review comments on this IFR, but the conditions could
not be established under which the Committee could have undertaken this
with a view toward consensus. Comments on the IFR were received through
December 19, 2005. FRA is reviewing the comments. On February 22, 2006,
the RSAC accepted this task to review and revise the CWR related to
provisions of the Track Safety Standards, with particular emphasis on
reduction of derailments and consequent injuries and damage caused by
defective conditions, including joint failures, in track using CWR. A
Working Group has been established. The Working Group will report any
planned activity to the full Committee at each scheduled full RSAC
meeting, including milestones for completion of projects and progress
toward completion. The first Working Group meeting was held April 3-4,
2006, at which time the Working Group reviewed comments on the IFR. The
second Working Group meeting was held April 26-28, 2006. The Working
Group also met May 24-25, 2006, and July 19-20, 2006. The Working Group
reported consensus recommendations for the final rule that were
accepted by the full Committee by mail ballot on August 11, 2006. FRA
is currently preparing a final rule. Contact: Ken Rusk, (202) 493-6236.
Completed Tasks
Task 96-1--(Completed) Revising the Freight Power Brake
Regulations.
Task 96-2--(Completed) Reviewing and recommending revisions to the
Track Safety Standards (49 CFR Part 213).
Task 96-3--(Completed) Reviewing and recommending revisions to the
Radio Standards and Procedures (49 CFR Part 220).
Task 96-5--(Completed) Reviewing and recommending revisions to
Steam Locomotive Inspection Standards (49 CFR Part 230).
Task 96-6--(Completed) Reviewing and recommending revisions to
miscellaneous aspects of the regulations addressing Locomotive Engineer
Certification (49 CFR Part 240).
Task 96-7--(Completed) Developing Roadway Maintenance Machines (On-
Track Equipment) Safety Standards.
Task 96-8--(Completed) This Planning Task evaluated the need for
action responsive to recommendations contained in a report to Congress
entitled, Locomotive Crashworthiness & Working Conditions.
Task 97-1--(Completed) Developing crashworthiness specifications
(49 CFR Part 229) to promote the integrity of the locomotive cab in
accidents resulting from collisions.
Task 97-3--(Completed) Developing event recorder data survivability
standards.
Task 97-4 and Task 97-5--(Completed) Defining Positive Train
Control (PTC) functionalities, describing available technologies,
evaluating costs and benefits of potential systems, and considering
implementation opportunities and challenges, including demonstration
and deployment.
Task 97-6--(Completed) Revising various regulations to address the
safety implications of processor-based signal and train control
technologies, including communications-based operating systems.
Task 97-7--(Completed) Determining damages qualifying an event as a
reportable train accident.
Task 00-1--(Completed--task withdrawn) Determining the need to
amend regulations protecting persons who work on, under, or between
rolling equipment and persons applying, removing or inspecting rear end
marking devices (Blue Signal Protection).
Task 01-1--(Completed) Developing conformity of FRA's regulations
for accident/incident reporting (49 CFR Part 225) to revised
regulations of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor, and to make appropriate revisions to
the FRA Guide for Preparing Accident/Incident Reports (Reporting
Guide).
Please refer to the notice published in the Federal Register on
March 11, 1996, (61 FR 9740) for more information about the RSAC.
Issued in Washington, DC, on September 18, 2006.
Grady C. Cothen, Jr.
Deputy Associate Administrator for Safety Standards and Program
Development.
[FR Doc. 06-8124 Filed 9-22-06; 8:45 am]
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