49 C.F.R. § 240.121

Criteria for vision and hearing acuity data

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(a) Each railroad shall adopt and comply with a program which complies with the requirements of this section. When any person, including, but not limited to, each railroad, railroad officer, supervisor, and employee, violates any requirement of a program that complies with the requirements of this section, that person shall be considered to have violated the requirements of this section.

(b) In order to be currently certified as a locomotive engineer, except as permitted by paragraph (e) of this section, a person's vision and hearing shall meet or exceed the standards prescribed in this section and appendix F to this part. It is recommended that each test conducted pursuant to this section should be performed according to any directions supplied by the manufacturer of such test and any American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards that are applicable.

(c) Except as provided in paragraph (e), each person shall have visual acuity that meets or exceeds the following thresholds:

(1) For distant viewing either

(i) Distant visual acuity of at least 20/40 (Snellen) in each eye without corrective lenses or

(ii) Distant visual acuity separately corrected to at least 20/40 (Snellen) with corrective lenses and distant binocular acuity of at least 20/40 (Snellen) in both eyes with or without corrective lenses;

(2) A field of vision of at least 70 degrees in the horizontal meridian in each eye; and

(3) The ability to recognize and distinguish between the colors of railroad signals as demonstrated by successfully completing one of the tests in appendix F to this part.

(d) Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this section, each person shall have a hearing test or audiogram that shows the person's hearing acuity meets or exceeds the following thresholds: The person does not have an average hearing loss in the better ear greater than 40 decibels with or without use of a hearing aid, at 500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, and 2,000 Hz. The hearing test or audiogram shall meet the requirements of one of the following:

(1) As required in 29 CFR 1910.95(h) (Occupational Safety and Health Administration);

(2) As required in § 227.111 of this chapter; or

(3) Conducted using an audiometer that meets the specifications of and is maintained and used in accordance with a formal industry standard, such as ANSI S3.6, “Specifications for Audiometers.”

(e) A person not meeting the thresholds in paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section shall, upon request, be subject to further medical evaluation by a railroad's medical examiner to determine that person's ability to safely operate a locomotive. In accordance with the guidance prescribed in appendix F to this part, a person is entitled to one retest without making any showing and to another retest if the person provides evidence substantiating that circumstances have changed since the last test to the extent that the person could now arguably operate a locomotive or train safely. The railroad shall provide its medical examiner with a copy of this part, including all appendices. If, after consultation with one of the railroad's designated supervisors of locomotive engineers, the medical examiner concludes that, despite not meeting the threshold(s) in paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section, the person has the ability to safely operate a locomotive, the person may be certified as a locomotive engineer and such certification conditioned on any special restrictions the medical examiner determines in writing to be necessary.

(f) As a condition of maintaining certification, each certified locomotive engineer shall notify his or her employing railroad's medical department or, if no such department exists, an appropriate railroad official if the person's best correctable vision or hearing has deteriorated to the extent that the person no longer meets one or more of the prescribed vision or hearing standards or requirements of this section. This notification is required prior to any subsequent operation of a locomotive or train which would require a certified locomotive engineer.

[56 FR 28254, June 19, 1991, as amended at 64 FR 60992, Nov. 8, 1999; 85 FR 81312, Dec. 15, 2020]

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 12 cases (9 in the last 5 years), 1998–2025 · leading case: Turner v. BNSF Ry., 138 F.4th 224 (5th Cir. 2025).

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Turner v. BNSF Ry., 138 F.4th 224 (5th Cir. 2025). · cites it 10× “3 49 C.F.R. §§ 240.121 (c)(3); 242.117(h)(3); Part 240 Appendix F; and Part 242 Appendix D.”

Coleman v. S. Pac. Transp. Co., 997 F. Supp. 1197 (D. Ariz. 1998). · cites it 3× “49 C.F.R. § 240.121 (c). Thus, it is not inconsistent for Plaintiff to claim that he has “good vision” that is sufficient to satisfy the FRA requirements to serve as a locomotive engineer and to also claim that his ability to see is substantially limited.”

Green v. Kansas City S. Ry. Co., 464 F. Supp. 2d 610 (E.D. Tex. 2006). “49 C.F.R. § 240.121 (d). As long as an engineer candidate has adequate hearing in his good ear, then the candidate passes the test.”

Chadwick v. Norfolk S. Ry. Co. (E.D. Pa. 2023). · cites it 4× “SOF at ¶ 10; See 49 CFR §240.121 ; Ex. ECF 40-16, April 23, 2020 Email to EEOC, at NORFOLK_00000085.”

Mills v. Union Pac. R.R. Co. (D. Idaho 2024). · cites it 3× “See 49 C.F.R. § 240.121 (c). To comply with these regulations, railroad companies test their conductors approximately every three years to verify that they meet the required vision standards.”

U.S. Equal Emp. Opportunity Comm'n v. Union Pac. R.R. Co. (D. Minnesota 2024). · cites it 3× “, 49 C.F.R. § 240.121 (e) (“A person not meeting the thresholds .”

DeFries v. Union Pac. R.R. Co. (D. Or. 2025). · cites it 3× “See 49 C.F.R. §§ 240.121 (e), 242.117(j) (establishing secondary testing); Best Practices, 80 Fed.”

Serbin v. Consol. Rail Corp., 140 F. App'x 336 (3rd Cir. 2005). “Appellant believed at all times that he was unqualified; Conrail, citing 49 C.F.R. §§ 240.121 , 240.207 and Appendix F to Section 240, contends he was not.”

U.S. Equal Emp. Opportunity Comm'n v. Union Pac. R.R. Co. (D. Minnesota 2025). · cites it 2× “See 49 C.F.R. §§ 240.121 (c)(3); 242.117(h)(3).”

Cromeens v. Union Pac. R.R. Co. (D. Neb. 2025). · cites it 2× “” 49 C.F.R. § 240.121 (e). On this record, without an FRA determination that the medical examiner got it wrong, Cromeens can show neither.”

Walker v. Union Pac. R.R. Co. (D. Or. 2024). “The Court has reviewed 49 C.F.R. § 240.121 (c)-(e) and Appendix F and agrees with Judge Russo.”

Donahue v. Union Pac. R.R. Co. (N.D. Cal. 2025). “1, including “[t]he ability to recognize 7 and distinguish between the colors of railroad signals," see 49 C.F.R. §§ 240.121 (c)(3), 8 242.117(h)(3).”

— 49 C.F.R. § 240.121(c) — 1 case

DeFries v. Union Pac. R.R. Co. (D. Or. 2025). “See 49 C.F.R. §§ 240.121 (e), 242.117(j) (establishing secondary testing); Best Practices, 80 Fed.”

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