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Title:

COMPENSATING INJURED RAILROAD WORKERS UNDER THE FEDERAL EMPLOYERS' LIABILITY ACT

Accession Number:

00647429

Record Type:

Monograph

Availability:

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Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/030905561X

Abstract:

Acting through its report on the 1991 Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, the House Appropriations Committee requested a comprehensive analysis of the Federal Employers' Liability Act of 1908 (FELA). FELA prescribes a tort-based compensation process for injured railroad workers that has been a long-time source of controversy within the railroad industry. In response to this request, the Transportation Research Board, with partial funding support from the Federal Transit Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration, established a committee of 15 experts to assess the injury compensation system that has evolved under FELA and compare it with the no-fault compensation systems that cover most U.S. workers. The committee addressed the chief points of contention between supporters and opponents of FELA, including the level and cost of benefits, the administrative costs and delays in providing compensation, the amount of litigation and legal costs, the effect on employee relations, and FELA's safety incentives. The resulting report describes the operation of injury compensation under both FELA and workers' compensation systems and details the committee's findings and conclusions regarding both approaches. In accordance with its charge from the National Research Council, the study committee limited its analysis to technical matters and did not recommend any specific changes in federal policy. The report is organized as follows: Executive Summary; (1) Introduction; (2) Overall Context for Compensation of Injured Workers; (3) Criteria for Analysis of Compensation of Injured Workers; (4) Railroad Injury Compensation Process; (5) State and Federal Workers' Compensation Programs; (6) Comparison of FELA Process and Workers' Compensation Systems; (7) Modal Competition and Federal Appropriations; (8) Findings and Conclusions; Appendix A: Railroad Safety; Appendix B: Terminology; and Study Committee Biographical Information.

Supplemental Notes:

Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved

Language:

English

Corporate Authors:

Transportation Research Board

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

Pagination:

198 p.

Publication Date:

1994

Serial:

Transportation Research Board Special Report

Issue Number: 241
Publisher: Transportation Research Board
ISSN: 0360-859X

ISBN:

030905561X

Media Type:

Digital/other

Features:

Appendices (2) ; Figures; References; Tables

Old TRIS Terms:

Subject Areas:

Administration and Management; Finance; Highways; Law; Public Transportation; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors

Files:

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Created Date:

May 26 1994 12:00AM