EMPLOYEE FATALITY 11/6

[shlustig]

A sad way to have an initial topic, but W&LE had an employee fatality last night at Brewster which is the lines main terminal and yard.

Initial report is that an employee using remote control was run over by the engine and cut of cars that he was controlling.

[mmi16]

A sad way to have an initial topic, but W&LE had an employee fatality last night at Brewster which is the lines main terminal and yard.

Initial report is that an employee using remote control was run over by the engine and cut of cars that he was controlling.

Seems as if some additional training is necessary on the WLE for RCL operations. No engineer to blame the happening on.

RIP!

Shame it has taken a fatality to generate any traffic in the WLE forum.

[EngineerDD]

I am a W&LE engineer and worked in remote near that employee 2 days prior. There were a few factors at play that I'm not sure I'm allowed to even really discuss. He was in one piece though. We flat switch in the yard with 2 locos together in remote. Each shift normally switches out 150-200 cars give or take with 3 shifts. The "old" yard has 19 tracks to kick into. The "new" yard is 10 tracks and the switching lead is parallel to the old lead and switches out just as many cars. Basically he seemed to get in a little hurry, got tripped up and fell into the oncoming cars and was struck by the truck and 3 bays of a 4 bay covered hopper. ... as told to me. The engine just came off the dock and the radio was on the improper channel so no one heard the tilt time out/ operator down broadcast. Any of you yard crews and RCO reading this please keep your head on a swivel. Slow down and double check everything. Be careful! It could happen to any of us.

[mmi16]

I am a W&LE engineer and worked in remote near that employee 2 days prior. There were a few factors at play that I'm not sure I'm allowed to even really discuss. He was in one piece though. We flat switch in the yard with 2 locos together in remote. Each shift normally switches out 150-200 cars give or take with 3 shifts. The "old" yard has 19 tracks to kick into. The "new" yard is 10 tracks and the switching lead is parallel to the old lead and switches out just as many cars. Basically he seemed to get in a little hurry, got tripped up and fell into the oncoming cars and was struck by the truck and 3 bays of a 4 bay covered hopper. ... as told to me. The engine just came off the dock and the radio was on the improper channel so no one heard the tilt time out/ operator down broadcast. Any of you yard crews and RCO reading this please keep your head on a swivel. Slow down and double check everything. Be careful! It could happen to any of us.

If the Engine(s) were on the wrong channel, how could the RCO operate the locomotives. I am not RCO qualified and no longer switch cars.

Would the 'tilt time out/ operator down broadcast' have brought the locomotives to a stop if the locomotives were on the proper channel?