Workers Compensation Insurance
Workers compensation covers medical expenses and lost wages when your shop crews, station staff, and other covered employees are injured on the job — coordinated with FELA railroad liability for employees the federal act covers.
Workers Comp for Heritage Railroads
A steam operation is hands-on and hazardous — shop crews work around boilers, machinery, and heavy components; station and gift-shop staff are on their feet; grounds crews handle track and equipment. Workers compensation pays the medical bills and lost wages of injured employees, and in most states it's required by law once you have employees.
What Workers Comp Covers
- Medical expenses for work-related injuries
- Lost wage replacement during recovery
- Disability benefits for lasting injuries
- Employer liability if an injured worker pursues a claim
- Return-to-work / light duty support
The FELA Coordination Question
This is the defining nuance for railroads. Employees who are railroad workers (operating and certain shop crews) may fall under FELA — the fault-based federal system — rather than state workers comp. Station, retail, administrative, and museum staff typically remain under state workers comp. Getting each role into the right system is essential:
- Misclassifying a FELA-covered crew member as comp-only can leave a serious uninsured gap.
- We structure workers comp for your non-railroad staff and coordinate it with railroad (FELA) liability for covered crews.
Volunteers
Heritage railroads run on volunteers, whose coverage status varies by state and role. We help you address volunteer exposure so an injured volunteer isn't left uncovered.
Controlling Your Premium
- Maintain a documented safety program: shop, boiler, hot-work, and lineside protocols
- Return injured staff to light duty quickly to limit lost-time claims
- Classify payroll accurately across shop, operating, station, and clerical roles
What's Covered
Frequently Asked Questions
Often yes. Railroad operating and certain shop crews may fall under federal FELA, while station, retail, and administrative staff fall under state workers comp. We place comp for non-railroad staff and coordinate FELA coverage for covered crews so there's no gap.
It depends on state law and the volunteer's role — a common gray area for heritage railroads. We help you address volunteer exposure across comp, FELA, and participant coverage so an injured volunteer isn't left uncovered.