For work conducted within the Adrian & Blissfield Rail Road Company’s (or its subsidiary’s) Right-of-Way. (Railroad ROW) and other Adrian & Blissfield Rail Road Company property in the vicinity of its railroad tracks.
Situational Requirements
Railroad flag protection (flagging) is required whenever people, vehicles, or equipment are within 50’ of the tracks. Flagging is also required if equipment can reach within 50’ of the tracks. Some examples of other situations which may require flagging:
- Surveying within 50’ of the tracks
- Boring under the tracks
- Working over the tracks (on a bridge or with overhead utility lines)
- Working within 20’ of any railroad facilities, including signal facilities
- Movement of off-road or oversized/overweight loads over at-grade crossings
- Operating tracked equipment over at-grade crossings
- Using a sweeper truck on at-grade crossings
- Crossing tracks on foot with limited sight distance
Railroad flagging personnel are provided to protect ADBF personnel, equipment, passengers, and facilities from the work being performed, and to provide protection to contractors working within Railroad ROW from ADBF operations. They are NOT inspectors of the work being performed. ADBF reserves the right to require construction observation for work within Railroad ROW at an additional cost to the permittee. Flaggers will provide daily job briefings and ensure at each briefing that all contractor activities planned for that day will comply with all current procedures and directives.
A single flagger may cover a limited length of track, depending on track curves, sight lines, radio contact, and other factors. The ADBF will determine in its discretion flagging limits per location and how many flaggers are necessary to cover the required work area.
The minimum flag protection time for which a permittee shall be responsible is 8 hours per day, per flagger, regardless of the actual time during each day that flagging is required. No single flagger may work more than 12 hours (including travel time) in a given day, 60 hours in a given week, or 6 days in a row.
Flagging hours will typically exceed the contractor’s onsite work hours. Additional time is required for flaggers to travel to and from the work site, to obtain track authority, and to set up and tear down equipment, each of which are included in the time allotted for flag protection. On average, a flagger will work 3 hours per day in addition to the onsite flagging time.
Scheduling
Flagging requests must be submitted two weeks (10 business days) prior to the start of work. ADBF will make a reasonable effort to provide flagging to accommodate contractors’ schedules. However, staffing is limited during certain times of the year and personnel may not be available at specific times.
To avoid flagging charges, cancellations of flagging requests must be made at least 72 hours prior to the scheduled start of flagging operations. Any cancellations received with less than 72 hours’ notice are subject to payment of the minimum daily rate then in effect, as determined by ADBF, for the number of flaggers assigned to the project.
Flag Protection Cost
Flagging will be billed out at a flat hourly rate of $150.00 per flagger. Expedited flagging is billed out at a flat rate of $225.00 per hour per flagger.