Dangers Of Working On The Railway
The development and improvement of this big country of ours is unswervingly tied to the growth and improvement of our railroad system. It's been written about, romanticized, bring in huge profits, and made it potential for every industry from mining to meat processing to prosper. The country owes a lot to our railroads.
But the development of the railroads came at a great price tag. Historically, working for a railroad has been a very risky occupation. In the early on days, the regular life expectancy of a brakeman on a train, and in the switchyards, was only about eight years. Only one in four lived to die of normal causes. It was absolutely a dangerous way to earn income.
Have you wondered ever where the saying, "Let me see a explain of hands" came from? The anecdote goes that when a railroad party foreman was wondering for workers in a crowd of men, particularly brakemen, he would ask for a prove of hands. Any man raise his hands who had all of his fingers was usually disqualify because it intended he hadn't had a lot on-the-job skills. That's a risky job!
Luckily, a lot has changed since those days. The major change came in 1908 when parliament passed the Federal Employers Liability Act, usually known as FELA. For the first time in American times past, railroad workers were given certain rights and protections at work. Most importantly, the workers and their families were given the right to sue their employer for compensation due to injury or death on the job. It was the country's first attempt at workman's compensation.
The new threat of expensive lawsuits went a long way in making railroads a safer place to work, and improvements were made. After more than one hundred years, improvements continue to be made, but that doesn't mean working for a railroad is without risk. It is still listed as one of the more dangerous places to work with higher than average fatal accident and injury rates when compared to other industries. When injuries do occur, they are more likely to be severe. The normal number of days missed due to hurt is 20, compared to an average of 8 in private business. 47% of those injured on the work are out for more than 30 days, compared to only 28.9% in other industries.
Advances in technology and training have come a lengthy way, but the guiding philosophy behind FELA are as essential today as they were in 1909. These are some of the necessities of FELA to which railroads, and all industries, are required to meet the terms:
- Provide a reasonably safe place to work - Provide proper safety tools - Set safe working methods - Enforce safety regulations - Provide reasonable and adequate training
America's railway workers have a long and proud history of keeping the nation's railroads running in all kinds of weather under all kinds of conditions. The work can be tiring and dangerous, and we should not take their work for granted. So when you hear the distant horn or rhythmic clicking of a train on the tracks in the night, or see one making its way across the open countryside, remember the men and women who keep them moving and offer them a silent.