1st Edition

Human Factors in the U.S. Railroad Industry

By Thomas G. Raslear Copyright 2025
236 Pages 84 B/W Illustrations
by CRC Press

236 Pages 84 B/W Illustrations
by CRC Press

236 Pages 84 B/W Illustrations
by CRC Press

At the heart of the U.S. Railroad Industry are human operators who continue to make it work and operate. However, humans are susceptible to error, fatigue, and risky behaviors. Understanding how these impact the safety of the industry remains a crucial topic to be studied. Human Factors in the U.S. Railroad Industry investigates the human factor behind one of the world’s biggest railway... Read more

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

About The Author

Section I.  Introduction, Overview, and Context

Chapter 1.  Introduction and Overview

Chapter 2.  Social, Legal and Policy Context

Section II.  Analytic Methods

Chapter 3.  Data Issues

Chapter 4.  Exposure

Chapter 5.  Signal Detection Theory

Section III.  Grade Crossings and Trespassing

Chapter 6.  Grade Crossing Safety and Trespassing

Section IV.  Railroad Systems and Operations

Chapter 7.  Fatigue and Hours of Service Regulations

Chapter 8.  Working Conditions and Ergonomics

Chapter 9.  Safety Culture Programs

Chapter 10.  Track Inspection

Index

Biography

Thomas G. Raslear is an Independent Human Factors Consultant based in Maryland, USA. He has over 40 years of experience in experimental psychology and human factors research. For 23 years, he was based at the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) until his retirement. At FRA, he was Chief of the Human Factors Research Division in the Office of Research and Development. He is an internationally known expert in fatigue in the railroad industry and has published extensively on the effects of work schedules on fatigue and accidents. Tom was a member and former chair of the U.S. Department of Transportation Human Factors Coordinating Committee and a member of the Transportation Research Board Standing Committee on Railroad Operational Safety (AR070). He is also an internationally known expert on grade crossing human factors and accident causation and has published extensively on the use of Signal Detection Theory in the analysis of motorist behavior at grade crossings.