WASHINGTON - The Federal Railroad Administration today announced a new Final Rule (FR) requiring each Class I, intercity passenger, and commuter railroad to establish and implement a critical incident stress plan for employees who are directly involved in, witness, or respond to, a critical incident. This rulemaking responds to the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 mandate that the Secretary of Transportation establish regulations to define “critical incident” and to require certain railroads to develop and implement critical incident stress plans.  Under the provisions of the rule, railroads would be required to develop, and submit to the Secretary for approval, critical incident stress plans that provide for appropriate support services to be offered to their employees who are affected by a “critical incident.” The rule defines a “critical incident” as either — (1) An accident/incident reportable to FRA under 49 CFR part 225 that results in a fatality, loss of limb, or a similarly serious bodily injury; or (2) A catastrophic accident/incident reportable to FRA under part 225 that could be reasonably expected to impair a directly-involved employee's ability to perform his or her job duties safely. The final rule can be viewed here. Contact: Kevin Thompson (202) 493-6024.