FY15 Pilot Testing and Implementation Evaluation of a Railroad Critical Incident Stress Plan

Under a previous grant, supported by FRA's Office of Research and Development and the Office of Safety, a model framework and proposed key elements for reducing the effects of potentially traumatic exposure to critical incidents was developed in support of a new regulation, now known as the critical incident rule. This new regulation is intended to control the risks associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress disorder (ASD) in a railroad setting due to employees' exposure to critical incidents. As required by this rule (49 CFR Part 272-Critical Incident Stress Plans), no later than June 23rd, 2015, railroad carriers were responsible for submitting to FRA, for approval, their Critical Incident Stress Plans. Under a subsequent grant a generic non-proprietary suite of tools for potential implementation and broad application across the rail industry was developed and is now ready for pilot testing and evaluation. This suite of tools was customized by Amtrak labor and management teams for use in the Amtrak environment and was used to support Amtrak's submission of its critical incident plan to FRA. This grant will support an implementation evaluation and pilot testing of the generic tools adapted by Amtrak for its Critical Incident Plan. It will also support the development of evidence-based good practice guidance and resource documents, including no-cost non-proprietary tools and materials, for industry use when implementing their Critical Incident Stress Plans.