[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 49, Volume 4]
[Revised as of October 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 49CFR218.22]

[Page 196-197]
 
                        TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION
 
       CHAPTER II--FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF 
                             TRANSPORTATION
 
PART 218--RAILROAD OPERATING PRACTICES--Table of Contents
 
              Subpart B--Blue Signal Protection of Workers
 
Sec. 218.22  Utility employee.

    (a) A utility employee shall be subject to the Hours of Service Act, 
and the requirements for training and testing, control of alcohol and 
drug use, and hours of service record keeping provided for in parts 217, 
219, and 228 of this chapter.
    (b) A utility employee shall perform service as a member of only one 
train or yard crew at any given time. Service with more than one crew 
may be sequential, but not concurrent.
    (c) A utility employee may be assigned to and serve as a member of a 
train or yard crew without the protection otherwise required by subpart 
D of part 218 of this chapter only under the following conditions:
    (1) The train or yard crew is assigned a controlling locomotive that 
is under the actual control of the assigned locomotive engineer of that 
crew;
    (2) The locomotive engineer is in the cab of the controlling 
locomotive, or, while the locomotive is stationary be replaced in the 
cab by another member of the same crew;
    (3) The utility employee established communication with the crew by 
contacting the designated crew member on arriving at the train (as 
defined for the purpose of this section as one or more locomotives 
coupled, with or without cars) and before commencing any duties with the 
crew.
    (4) Before each utility employee commences duties, the designated 
crew

[[Page 197]]

member shall provide notice to each crew member of the presence and 
identity of the utility employee. Once all crew members have 
acknowledged this notice, the designated crew member shall advise the 
utility employee that he or she is authorized to work as part of the 
crew. Thereafter, communication shall be maintained in such a manner 
that each member of the train or yard crew understands the duties to be 
performed and whether those duties will cause any crew member to go on, 
under, or between the rolling equipment; and
    (5) The utility employee is performing one or more of the following 
functions: set or release hand brakes; couple or uncouple air hoses and 
other electrical or mechanical connections; prepare rail cars for 
coupling; set wheel blocks or wheel chains; conduct air brake tests to 
include cutting air brake components in or out and position retaining 
valves; inspect, test, install, remove or replace a rear end marking 
device or end of train device. Under all other circumstances a utility 
employee working on, under, or between railroad rolling equipment must 
be provided with blue signal protection in accordance with Secs. 218.23 
through 218.30 of this part.
    (d) When the utility employee has ceased all work in connection with 
that train and is no longer on, under, or between the equipment, the 
utility employee shall notify the designated crew member. The designated 
crew member shall then provide notice to each crew member that the 
utility employee is being released from the crew. Once each crew member 
has acknowledged the notice, the designated crew member shall then 
notify the utility employee that he is released from the train or yard 
crew.
    (e) Communications required by Sec. 218.22(c)(4) and (d) shall be 
conducted between the utility employee and the designated crew member. 
This communications shall be conducted either through direct verbal 
contact, by radio in compliance with part 220 of this chapter, or by 
oral telecommunication of equivalent integrity.
    (f) No more than three utility employees may be attached to one 
train or yard crew at any given time.
    (g) Any railroad employee who is not assigned to a train or yard 
crew, or authorized to work with a crew under the conditions set forth 
by paragraph (b) of this section, is a worker required to be provided 
blue signal protection in accordance with Secs. 218.23 through 218.30 of 
this part.
    (h) Nothing in this section shall affect the alternative form of 
protection specified in Sec. 221.16 of this chapter with respect to 
inspection of rear end marking devices.

[58 FR 43293, Aug. 16, 1993, as amended at 60 FR 11050, Mar. 1, 1995]