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Form 1 NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD Award No. 9832
SECOND DIVISION Docket No. 9833
2-CR-MA-'84
The Second Division consisted of the regular members and in
addition Referee Robert W. McAllister when award was rendered.
( International Association of Machinists and
( Aerospace Workers
Parties to Dispute:
( Consolidated Rail Corporation
Dispute: Claim of Employes:
1. That the Consolidated Rail Corporation be ordered to restore Machinist
Brian P. Szarek to service and compensate him for all pay lost up to
time of restoration to service at the prevailing machinist rate of pay.
2. That Machinist Brian Szarek be compensated for all insurance benefits,
vacation benefits, holiday benefits and any other benefits that may have
accrued and were lost during this period, in accordance with Rule
7-A-1 (e) of the prevailing Agreement which was effective May 1, 1979.
3. The Consolidated Rail Corporation violated Rule 6-A-1 (a) and (b) of
the prevailing Agreement effective May 1, 1979.
4. The Consolidated Rail Corporation violated Rule 6-A-3 (a)' of the
prevailing Agreement effective May 1, 1979.
Findings
The Second Division of the Adjustment Board, upon the whole record and
all the evidence, finds that:
The carrier or carriers and the employe or employes involved in this dispute
are respectively carrier and employes within the meaning of the Railway Labor Act
as approved June 21, 1934.
This Division of the Adjustment Board has jurisdiction over the dispute
involved herein.
Parties to said dispute waived right of appearance at hearing thereon.
The Claimant, Brian P. Szarek, entered the Carrier's service as a machinist:
on September 30, 1969. On February 9, 1981, the Claimant suffered an on-the-job
injury. According to the injury report, the Claimant was signaling Unit 8842
to move back for water, and, in so doing, he slipped on ice injuring his lower
back and shoulder. On March 16, 1981, the Claimant attempted to return to work
and was given a letter informing him he was being held out of service pending the
outcome of a formal trial and review of his accident/injury record since the
inception of his employment. On April 16, the Carrier gave the Claimant notice
of his dismissal for the offense of being accident prone and failing to conduct
himself in a manner so as to avoid personal injury.
Form I Award No. 9832
Page 2 Docket No. 9833
2-CR-MA-'84
The Organization appeals the Carrier's actions on multiple grounds. It
argues the charges are vague and ambiguous; the trial was not convened within the
mandatory thirty day time limit in violation of Rule 6-A-3 (a); the charges are
insupportable and the record reveals the Carrier did not provide its employes with
a safe working place; the Claimant was improperly withheld from service in violation
of Rule 6-A-1 (b); the Claimant complied with Carrier's rules and reported all
injuries which are now improperly being used against him; and finally, the
discipline assessed constitutes double jeopardy.
With respect to the charge the Carrier improperly withheld Claimant from
service, we note his removal was based upon the assertion the Claimant was
accident prone and, therefore, a potential danger to himself and fellow workers.
This allegation is a serious offense which, if proven, could justify the Claimant's
removal. We find no deprivation of rights granted Claimant by the contract.
The Organization also contends the charge against Claimant is vague and,
therefore, lacks the preciseness required by the agreement. Our examination of the
transcript leads us to conclude the Claimant and his representative demonstrated
quite clearly that they were not in the dark and were prepared to defend against
the charges.
Additionally, the Organization argues the Claimant's trial was not convened
within thirty days of Carrier's knowledge of employe's involvement and emphasizes
the Carrier reached back eleven years from February 9, 1981. We concur that, if
February 9 was the day the Carrier's representative had reason to conclude the
Claimant was accident prone, the lapse in time would violate Rule 6-A-3 (a).
However, we first must acknowledge the Carrier did conduct a separate investigation
as a result of the Claimant's injury on February 9. Herein, the charges against
Claimant are two fold:
"(a) Being accident prone, and
(b) Failing to conduct yourself in the performance of your duties
in such a manner as to avoid personal injury, thereby
establishing yourself as an unsafe and unsatisfactory employee."
These charges clearly must relate to a period of time over which an employe
accumulates a number of injuries. At the time of Claimant's last injury on
February 9, 1981, this Board believes the Carrier would have been precipitous in
lodging the above charges without benefit of additional information concerning the
nature and extent of Claimant's then current disability. Thus, we find it
reasonable for the Carrier to have waited until the Claimant attempted to return
to duty before taking action. The charge, by its very nature, encompasses the
Claimant's personal injuries and, as such, extends through the duration of the
most recent disablement.
The record establishes Claimant attempted to return to work on March 16,
19$1, following his last and seventeenth personal injury since the beginning of
his employment in 1969. Statistically, the last four injuries occurred in just
less than eleven months. Between 1977 and February, 1981, the total work force
at the Frontier Diesel facility, numbering eighty-seven, incurred one hundred
forty-one injuries. Thus, for this four year period, each employe averaged 1.6
Form 1 Award No. 9832
Page 3 Docket No. 9833
2-CR-MA-'84
injuries as contrasted with the Claimant's ten. Of the seventeen injuries, two
could be related to the actions of another employer four involved slipping and
falling incidents; three were essentially repetitious involving brake shoes and
resulting hand injuries. The Carrier argues this record clearly indicates the
Claimant is accident prone.
Prior Board awards have frequently referred to the definition of what.
constitutes an accident prone employe, as set forth in Award No. 20438:
"As to the first, the term 'accident proneness' must be defined.
The Division understands that an accident-prone employe is one
who has demonstrated a propensity to get hurt in performing service
in his occupation under conditions where successive injuries could
have been avoided if the employe had exercised more care or foresight or had possessed better physical or mental traits, such as
faster reflexes and better neuromuscular coordination. Evidence
suggesting accident-proneness would include a rate of accident
frequency and/or severity that is significantly higher for said
employe than the rates which in the light of past experience might
reasonably be expected of him."
Herein, there is no question that Claimant had a poor accident frequency
record and that it was significantly higher than the rate for the overall unit.
There is no evidence the Claimant's accident/severity rate was disproportionate
nor is there any medical evidence which would support a conclusion Claimant would
be more accident prone in the future.
This Board is unwilling to abandon the line of reasoning set forth in
Award No. 20438, supra. However, that award, among many, does not support a
purely statistical approach to proving the charge of accident proneness. The
serious nature and consequences of such a charge requires an analysis of all
aspects of each and
every injury
. Factors, such as physical condition, fault, the
severity and nature of the injuries as well as the effects upon fellow employes,
must also be taken into consideration. The Carrier has enormous responsibility
to its employes and the public to insure safety. The Claimant's record of injuries
and their acceleration in 1980 and 1981 warrant a more specific warning than hips
prior injuries have apparently provided. This Board, however, does not view the:
evidence as supporting Claimant's discharge. The Claimant's removal and long
period of separation from work should now have sufficiently alerted him that
there is no place for inattention and carelessness in the railroad industry.
We, therefore, conclude Claimant may now be restored to service with seniority
unimpaired, but without compensation for time lost. In returning, he must understand that he must exercise reasonable care in the performance of his duties at ;all times
A W A R D
Claim sustained in accordance with the Findings.
NATIONAL RAILROAD ADJUSTMENT BOARD
By Order of Second Division
Attest
Nancy . fiver - Executive Secretary
Dated at Chicago, Illinois, this 7th day of March, 1984.