DENVER — BNSF Railway (BNSF) made several policy and procedure changes after a worker at the company's Globeville Yard in Denver died when he fell from the front of a locomotive and was struck by the train while switching railroad freight cars, according to a final report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The accident happened shortly before 11 a.m. on Feb. 9, 2022.
According to the NTSB report, the victim was working as a remote control operator (RCO) helper that day with an RCO foreman.
Before the accident, the foreman said he was using his operator control unit (OCU) to couple the locomotives and freight cars on Track 116. The RCO foreman then transferred control of his OCU to the victim, the report says.
The victim brought the locomotives and freight cars forward with his OCU so he could board the front locomotive stairs, the NTSB report says.
He then used the OCU to move the locomotives and freight cars out of Track 116 for the next switching move. After the victim climbed the stairs of the locomotive to the front center platform, the equipment began to move before a sudden deceleration which caused the man to fall from the front of the locomotive, according to the NTSB report.
About four seconds later, a safety feature on the victim's OCU initiated an emergency application of the train’s air brakes, the report says.
The final report says that the platform offered "little, if any protection" to prevent the worker from falling during a sudden change in speed. As a result of the accident, BNSF issued a rule change prohibiting employees from riding on locomotive platforms and walkways.
The NTSB found that the RCO helper had selected a speed of 7 mph, which caused the locomotive to accelerate too quickly which led to "uncontrolled in-train forces" that caused a "sudden deceleration."
As a result of the accident, BNSF alerted employees on Feb. 22, 2022, about a new policy that banned them from riding on platforms or walkways. They're also not allowed to ride on steps when coupling trains and the train must not exceed 20 mph.
After the accident, BNSF also reiterated the operating procedures and rules for remote control operation to employees, emphasizing the need to use low speed to stretch a train before commanding an increase in speed.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS