Safety Advisory 2023-01; Evaluation of Policies and Procedures Related to the Use and Maintenance of Hot Bearing Wayside Detectors (Second Supplement)

Issuing agencies

Abstract

FRA is issuing this Second Supplement to Safety Advisory 2023- 01 to reiterate and expand upon the recommendations in its previously published Safety Advisories related to hot bearing wayside detectors (HBDs). This Safety Advisory reiterates FRA's previous recommendations in Safety Advisory 2023-01 and its June 14, 2023 Supplement, and expands on the recommendations to incorporate the findings of FRA's ongoing evaluations by emphasizing: the importance of trend analysis and the opportunity to integrate wayside detector data types to evaluate railcar health; the need to establish and follow appropriate processes in analyzing and responding to HBD data; the need for railroads to ensure that adequate staff are assigned to monitor and respond to wayside detector data; and the need for railroads to maximize the use of HBD data, including sharing wayside detector data between railroads, as a train travels from one railroad's tracks to another railroad's track.