Western Railroad Discussion > Mask Mandates

Are the Class1s requiring engineers and conductors to wear masks in the cab, or do  they consider the distance between the two to be social distancing?

Thanks for a reply.

RC Lundgren
Elgin, TX

I have wondered the same thing. My employer doesn't seem to agree, but if you watch the thousands of cab ride videos of the Big Boy in Texas last summer, I don't believe I saw one mask on any of the pilots or the steam crew. Possibly that cab is considered more open than a diesel?

with all the time  crews are required to work together, maybe they fall under the family umbrella...

(spend more time working than with their real families)

Lol, we pretty much all ignored the mandate imidiatly when they came out. It’s not that we don’t care, but we are 6 feet apart in the cab. None of us are gonna wear one for 8-12 hours. There are literally a handful that do but 99% do not. Plus the carriers put out these policy’s that made it sounded like they cared then turned around and did not change a thing. They could care less if half of us died of COVID. Hell with the new policy at the orange RR we will be punished for taking time off if we think we have COVID. Call in sick and then test negative? Bummer, we’re gonna take points from you for being cautious. 

Not to mention the fact that your .25 micron particles don't have much trouble getting thru your 25
micron rated mask. The N95 mask does a respectible job but it's way more expensive and even
worse to wear for long periods.

Out 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/22 19:07 by callum_out.

FRA order from Bidens mask mandate for transportation requires mask usage in the cab, how ever wearing a mask if a safety hazzard if you wear glasses, If you cant see the PTC or out the window the safe operation of the train is no longer possible
 

Thanks for the replies, guys!

RC Lundgren
Elgin, TX

NSDTK Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> FRA order from Bidens mask mandate for
> transportation requires mask usage in the cab, how
> ever wearing a mask if a safety hazzard if you
> wear glasses, If you cant see the PTC or out the
> window the safe operation of the train is no
> longer possible
>  

Glasses don't usually fog if you're wearing a fitted mask, i.e. a N95 that has the wire in it so it can be formed around your nose.
Plus wearing a N95 might keep some of the diesel particulate pollution out of your lungs.

Pacific5th Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lol, we pretty much all ignored the mandate
> imidiatly when they came out. 

I'd imagine its the same on an airline... Once the cockpit door is locked, you can imagaine the pilots are taking theirs off also.

callum_out Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not to mention the fact that your .25 micron
> particles don't have much trouble getting thru
> your 25
> micron rated mask. The N95 mask does a respectible
> job but it's way more expensive and even
> worse to wear for long periods.
>
> Out 
A normal N95 mask is inadequate. Here are the OSHA standards for masks: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.134
To summarize:

• The mask must fit tested to each individual.
• Each mask must be leak tested on the individual to ensure an air tight seal.
• People who wear glasses must have a spectacle kit inside the mask
• The filter material must be of a type to filter out contaminants (N95 in this case).
• Males must be clean shaven as facial hair interferes with the seal.
• The mask must be cleaned and disinfected after each use.
• The mask must be stored in an environment that prevents contamination of the mask between uses.

These standards have been in place for years. It's the same standard firefighters have to follow. You need a mask similar to this: https://www.mirasafety.com/products/cm-6m-tactical-gas-mask I don't see many people wearing such a mask for 8-12 hours.

KY, please don't GASLIGHT with this type of BS! Due to my wife's, and my, field of work we are required to maintain an in depth knowledge of COVID related issues.
ALL MASKS do what they're designed to do! As a firefighter, the level of protection from gases and particulates I need at a fire is NOT the same level as the general population should use in normal daily living; not one firefighter that I know wears their mask 24/7. NO mask is perfect, but some types are better than others. Yes, even cloth masks are proven to control exposure for 27 minutes (which is far longer than most of my interactions with strangers) according to the latest data (which some many anti-vaxxers/anti-maskers are so willing to misinterpret), just not as well as N95s.
N95s DO WORK, and are the CDC standard. Your link is irrelevant to COVID.
Everyone needs to practice good hygiene - wear a mask when appropriate, practice social distancing, wash your hands, don't cough and sneeze on others (oh, look, something a mask would help limit), etc... Yes, masks DO need to be cleaned (sorry, I forget how uneducated and lacking in common sense the "average" person has become), because sometimes sneezes and coughs happen... ITS THE SPREAD OF AIRBORNE PARTICULATES/MOLECULES THAT"S THE MAIN ISSUE!
Meanwhile, in the REAL WORLD of FACTS, 870,000 Americans are DEAD! Hsopitals are overcrowded, and hospital staff envy the "horrible work hours" that so many railroaders on here are whining about (how many of you deal with dead bodies on a daily basis)! Oh, and it's ILLEGAL to falsify the cause of death on a death certificate, so save the BS about "fake numbers". Now, if you're so inclined, go ahead and tell the rest of us how good a "patriot" you are for defending your "freedoms"...
STAY SAFE, and BE RESPONSIBLE as well as reasonable.
Jim



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/26/22 10:04 by WOPRJim.

WOPRJim Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Everyone needs to practice good hygiene - wear a
> mask when appropriate, practice social distancing,
> wash your hands, don't cough and sneeze on others
> (oh, look, something a mask would help limit),
>
Are you saying that if you are wearing a facemask and have to sneeze that you sneeze into your mask and keep wearing it? That's disgusting. No thank you.
As before, I'll make every effort not to sneeze at people or into a crowd, but no way am I going to sneeze into my own facemask.

Posted from Android

P Wrote:

> Are you saying that if you are wearing a facemask
> and have to sneeze that you sneeze into your mask
> and keep wearing it? That's disgusting. No
> thank you.   

For quite some time, I've carried a spare mask in my pocket precisely because of this possibility.  

It wasn't exactly rocket science to figure this out.

BobE