Title 49, TransportationRelease 119-102
§20166 Emergency Escape Breathing Apparatus
Title 49 › SUBTITLE V — RAIL PROGRAMS › PART A — SAFETY › CHAPTER 201 — GENERAL › SUBCHAPTER II — PARTICULAR ASPECTS OF SAFETY › § 20166
Summary
Within 18 months after the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 became law, the Secretary of Transportation must issue rules requiring freight railroads to put emergency breathing gear in locomotive cabs that covers the head and neck and protects against inhalation hazards. Each locomotive must have quick-access storage for the gear, the equipment must be kept in working order, and crew members must be trained to use it.
Full Legal Text
Title 49, §20166
Transportation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, the Secretary of Transportation shall prescribe regulations that require railroad carriers—
(1)to provide emergency escape breathing apparatus suitable to provide head and neck coverage with respiratory protection for all crewmembers in locomotive cabs on freight trains carrying hazardous materials that would pose an inhalation hazard in the event of release;
(2)to provide convenient storage in each freight train locomotive to enable crewmembers to access such apparatus quickly;
(3)to maintain such equipment in proper working condition; and
(4)to provide their crewmembers with appropriate training for using the breathing apparatus.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The date of enactment of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, referred to in text, is the date of enactment of div. A. of Pub. L. 110–432, which was approved Oct. 16, 2008.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
49 U.S.C. § 20166
Title 49, Transportation
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102