Asbestos, coal dust, sand dust (silica), diesel fumes and exhaust, are known carcinogens, which means exposure to these elements can lead to lung cancer. Similarly, fumes from solvents, welding, and other materials can also lead to cancer. This is why railroad workers and other workers who usually work with such substances during their jobs are at increased risk of cancer. […]
FELA Lung Cancer Cases Caused By Asbestos And Diesel Exhaust Fumes
Railroad Worker Occupational Diseases/Cancers: Workplace Causes of Multiple Myeloma Blood Cancers
It is well known that people who work in the railroad industry tend to face a wide range of occupational hazards on a regular basis due to the nature of their work. Exposure to toxic chemicals, in particular, is one of the most dangerous hazards they face on the job, as a result of which they are at a significantly […]
What Is Asbestos Induced Mesothelioma Cancer And How Is It Diagnosed?
Mesothelioma is an aggressive and incurable cancer that develops in the mesothelium – a layer of tissue that covers the internal organs. In a vast majority of cases, mesothelioma tends to affect the lungs. It can, in some cases, also affect the abdominal cavity, heart, or the testicles. Every year, over 3,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with […]
What Are a Victim’s Legal Options if Injured in a Train Crash?
According to the National Transportation Safety Bureau, a person or vehicle is hit by a train every two hours. Approximately 1,000 people are killed each year in train-related accidents. This number has seen a steady increase each year since 1997. Some of the more common types of train accidents include: Train-car crashes Train-person crash Train-train crash Derailment National statistics […]
Health Hazards of Working Around Diesel Engines
In 1890 the first patent for a diesel engine was issued. Over the next century, more and more industries incorporated this type of engine in equipment and vehicles. One of the main reasons for its popularity was that diesel engines were more energy efficient than engines that ran on gasoline. Diesel fuel releases less CO2 carbon emissions than gasoline fuel. […]
Rail Accidents Have Declined 55% in Montana in Past Decade
Railroad accidents, derailments and fatalities have declined in Montana and other parts of the country in the past 10 years, according to data from the Federal Railroad Administration. The FRA reports that the decline is a reflection of efforts to enhance safety and by efforts in Montana specifically to communicate better with federal regulators, and to detect any trends. According […]
DOT Urges Railroads to Implement Automatic Braking By End of 2018
The Department of Transportation stated this month that railroads must act urgently to meet a Dec. 31, 2018 deadline to adopt automatic braking technology. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao made the statement in a letter she sent to 47 of the nation’s railroads in early January. Chao’s urgent call to action came a few weeks after an Amtrak train derailed Dec. […]
US Government to Investigate Growing Length of Freight Trains
US Congress will be investigating the safety of freight trains that are growing increasingly longer operated by CSX, Union Pacific, and other major railroads to increase profitability, according to the US Government Accountability Office. As of 2017, train length is unregulated in the United States. Any effort to add rules to restrict train length will face strong railroad industry opposition […]
Virginia Rail Express Adding Safety Technology to Rail Lines
Work is continuing in Virginia to install Positive Train Control (PTC) onto railroad tracks that experts say could have prevented many recent, fatal train accidents, such as in Hoboken, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Virginia Rail Express (VRE), a popular commuter rail line in the state and in the metro Washington DC area, stated in early March 2017 that it […]
BNSF Railroad Pleads for US Government to Pay for Life Saving Train Technology
A leading freight railroad has been urging Congress to pay for passenger railroad companies to install positive train control or PTC on all passenger trains. BNSF Railway has been one of the leading companies promoting the use of PTC, a technology that will slow a train down automatically that is going over the speed limit. PTC will eventually be required […]