America's Work Force Union Podcast

BMWED excited by proposed railroad safety inspection mandates

Written by awfblog | October 31, 2024

Roy Morrison, Safety Director for the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) final rule proposal mandating automated track inspection to supplement human track inspections.

Recently, the FRA introduced a proposed final rule mandating the use of Track Geometry Measurement Systems (TGMS) to aid human inspections. Morrison explained how the technology could assist inspections and make rails safer.

TGMS was introduced in 2018 to lower the amount of human inspection that would need to be done. Since then, the BMWED has been working to prevent the loss of human oversight in inspections. Morrison explained what happens during a human inspection and why pieces of the inspection could not be accomplished using TGMS.

While many unions have refused to use technological advancements that could possibly replace union members, the BMWED is excited to work with technology to create safer railways. Morrison explained that adopting technology is vital to catching any potential mistakes that the human eye can’t see or may have missed. While the final rule is still a proposal, he said the BMWED supports the proposal.

Listen to the show above for more about BMWED's support of the proposed final rule.