The Federal Employers Liability Act or FELA is the best worker safety law in the country!  The FELA is a federal statute that was passed in 1908 as a “remedial statute”, intended to promote safety and safety improvements in what was then a highly dangerous railroad industry.  At the turn of the century, the average life expectancy of a railroad worker was seven years, and these hard-working employees could be killed or badly maimed without any compensation or means to seek damages. Congress stepped up to the plate and passed the landmark FELA which forces the railroads to provide a reasonably safe place to work.  Since then, the railroad companies have been forced to make steady and constant improvements in what still remains a dangerous occupation.  Here are some of the major changes brought about by the lawsuits and injury claims of workers making claims under the FELA:

  • Bulletproof glass in locomotives
  • Cabooses-eliminated slack action injuries
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • Hours of service improvements
  • Positive Train Control (PTC)
  • Stop boarding and dismounting moving equipment
  • Brake sticks
  • Bow handled switches
  • Climate Controlled locomotive cabs to reduce exhaust fumes and noise
  • Run through switches
  • Wide-body comfort cabs
  • Fall protection
  • Pre-trip exercises and warm-ups

The list is exhaustive and impressive and directly the result of hard-fought claims and victories in the courtroom where the railroads were forced to pay injured employees fair and reasonable compensation.  And rather than continue to pay claims for using unsafe equipment, dangerous work conditions and procedures, the railroad companies were forced to clean it up and make improvements and changes like those listed above.

YOU HAVE SIGNIFICANT RIGHTS AS AN INJURED RAIL WORKER AND THE ABILITY TO RECOVER FAIR AND FULL COMPENSATION FOR YOUR LOSS UNDER THE FELA!

LEARN ABOUT THE FELA AND CELEBRATE ITS 110TH ANNIVERSARY IN MAKING YOUR WORKPLACE SAFER