Train Track Safety Awareness (TTSA) Practice Test

Keeping three points of contact with a stable surface reduces fall risk when near track equipment. This means always having two points touching a surface and one additional point supported—such as two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand—while you’re close to or working around equipment. This stable base helps you maintain balance, control your movements, and recover quickly if you start to slip, preventing a fall onto or toward the tracks.

Leaning while standing away from a surface unsettles your balance and narrows your base of support, making a fall more likely. Walking backward near equipment reduces your visibility and increases the chance of tripping or catching an obstacle. Gloves may improve grip in some situations, but they don’t provide the same stability as keeping solid contact with a surface, and they don’t address balance directly.

So, the safest, most effective action is to maintain three points of contact at all times when near track equipment to stay balanced and reduce fall risk.