Railroad Safety:
Human Factor Accidents and Issues Affecting Engineer Work Schedules
RCED-93-160BR: Published: Jul 1, 1993. Publicly Released: Aug 4, 1993.
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Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on how railroad engineers' work schedules affect railroad safety, focusing on: (1) whether the number of accidents on yard tracks differ from mainline track accidents; (2) how accident rates differ depending on the type of shift, time of day, and starting time; (3) the differences in work schedule characteristics of engineers who had accidents and the general engineer population; and (4) how the crew-calling system affects the engineers' ability to predict their next work shift.
GAO found that: (1) the time of day, number of hours engineers worked, and type of track had no significant impact on the number of railroad accidents; (2) accident rates at CSX and Conrail were higher for mainline track engineers than yard track engineers; (3) the CSX accident rate was higher during nondaylight hours and in the 11th hour of an engineer's shift, and Conrail's accident rate was higher when start time variability exceeded 4 hours; (4) although engineers generally had similar schedules, engineers who had accidents tended to work on mainline shifts that had greater shift variability; (5) engineers may not be sufficiently rested for work when changes in train scheduling occur because crew-calling systems do not provide adequate notification to allow engineers to properly plan their personal activities and sleep time; and (6) there was no evidence to support increased engineer notification, since engineers generally predict their work schedules 8 hours in advance.
Mar 2, 2021
COVID-19 Pandemic:
Preliminary Observations on Efforts toward and Factors Affecting the Aviation Industry's RecoveryGAO-21-412T: Published: Mar 2, 2021. Publicly Released: Mar 2, 2021.
Feb 18, 2021
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General Aviation:
Stakeholders Expressed Mixed Views of FAA Policies on Private Pilot Expense SharingGAO-21-285: Published: Feb 18, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 18, 2021.
Jan 28, 2021
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Unmanned Aircraft Systems:
FAA Could Strengthen Its Implementation of a Drone Traffic Management System by Improving Communication and Measuring PerformanceGAO-21-165: Published: Jan 28, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 28, 2021.
Jan 7, 2021
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Aircraft Noise:
Better Information Sharing Could Improve Responses to Washington, D.C. Area Helicopter Noise ConcernsGAO-21-200: Published: Jan 7, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 7, 2021.
Dec 18, 2020
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Automated Technologies:
DOT Should Take Steps to Ensure Its Workforce Has Skills Needed to Oversee SafetyGAO-21-197: Published: Dec 18, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 18, 2020.
Dec 17, 2020
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Emergency Responder Safety:
States and DOT Are Implementing Actions to Reduce Roadside CrashesGAO-21-166: Published: Dec 17, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 17, 2020.
Nov 24, 2020
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Reagan National Airport:
Information on Effects of Federal Statute Limiting Long-Distance FlightsGAO-21-176: Published: Nov 24, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 24, 2020.
Nov 19, 2020
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Federal-Aid Highways:
States and Local Governments Reported Benefits to Federal Highway Fund Swapping, but Impacts Cannot be Definitively DeterminedGAO-21-88: Published: Oct 20, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 19, 2020.
Nov 16, 2020
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Aviation Certification:
FAA Needs to Strengthen Its Design Review Process for Small AirplanesGAO-21-85: Published: Nov 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 16, 2020.
Nov 9, 2020
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Aviation Safety:
FAA's Office of Aviation Safety Should Take Additional Actions to Ensure Its Workforce Has Needed SkillsGAO-21-94: Published: Nov 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 9, 2020.
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