(a) The purpose of this part is to improve railroad safety through structured, proactive processes and procedures developed and implemented by railroads. Each railroad subject to this part must establish a Risk Reduction Program (RRP) that systematically evaluates railroad safety hazards on its system and manages the risks associated with those hazards to reduce the number and rates of railroad accidents/incidents, injuries, and fatalities.

(b) This part prescribes minimum Federal safety standards for the preparation, adoption, and implementation of RRPs. This part does not restrict railroads from adopting and enforcing additional or more stringent requirements not inconsistent with this part.

(c) This part prescribes the protection of information a railroad compiles or collects solely for the purpose of planning, implementing, or evaluating an RRP under this part.

(d) This part does not require an RRP to address hazards completely unrelated to railroad safety and that fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of another Federal agency. Additionally, an RRP required by this part is not intended to address and should not address the safety of employees while performing inspections, tests, and maintenance, except where FRA has already addressed workplace safety issues, such as blue signal protection in part 218 of this chapter. FRA does not intend to approve any specific portion of an RRP plan that relates exclusively to employee working conditions.