Comment from Joey Dean
Joey DeanSupportUnion
Summary: Joey Dean, a switchman for Union Pacific Railroad, supports the proposed restriction on drone operations near fixed sites. He argues that drones operating in close proximity to rail workers create significant safety hazards and distractions, and expresses concern over potential security risks.
Hello my name is Joey Dean and I am a switchman for Union Pacific Railroad out of south St. Paul MN. We have 2 yards close to an airport, park yard and Hoffman yard and was told the ceiling for there drones is 50 ft because of the airport. We are told by our company to keep our eyes on our path and to not get distracted, but when up on the side of a rail car riding a shove and a drone is 12 ft above your head following you it is next to impossible to not get distracted and or keep your eyes on your path briefly, and an FTX test is supposed to be 20 minutes and they our watching us for hours, so obviously these drones are not being used for safety purposes. We always assume the drone is management, but what if it’s a terrorist and we’re just becoming complacent to that and miss something we could have prevented. It’s just getting out of control with drones, cameras, and them abusing the testing.
Thank you for your time! Joey