A new ruling by the Federal Railroad Administration cites an ASTM standard as a means of making emergency exits from trains more visible to emergency personnel. The standard cited, D 4956, Specification for Retroreflective Sheeting for Traffic Control, is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee D04.38 on Highway Traffic Control Materials, part of ASTM International Committee D04 on Road and Paving Materials. The FRA ruling takes effect April 1.

According to its scope, D 4956 covers flexible, non-exposed glass bead lens and microprismatic, retroreflective sheeting designed for use on traffic control signs, delineators, barricades and other devices.

The FRA ruling is intended to make escape exits on passenger trains more visible by marking the exits with retroreflective sheeting in accordance with D 4956. The sheeting will enable emergency responders to locate exits by shining a light on the train’s roof.

“It's exciting to see the wide range of uses for the specifications we maintain,” says Jason Davis, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and chair of Subcommittee D04.38. “Many of us on the subcommittee focus on the traffic control aspects of the sign sheeting document, so this is a good reminder of the potential applications we should consider in our work. I think this is an excellent safety implementation and worth the FRA's efforts if it helps to save even a single life.”

For further technical information, contact Jason Davis, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (phone: 225/248-4106; jasondavis@dotd.la.gov). Committee D04 meets June 24-26 at the June committee week in Denver, Colo. For membership or meeting information, contact Daniel Smith, Technical Committee Operations, ASTM International (phone: 610/832-9727; dsmith@astm.org).

Release #7907