This paper analyzes the impact of occupational safety specialists' professional competence on the performance indicators for assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of an organization's occupational safety management system.

Based on Russian Federation regulations governing a systems approach to occupational safety management, aspects of assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of occupational safety activities in an organization are identified.

A contingency table illustrates the functional relationship between the performance of occupational safety specialists and changes in the effectiveness and efficiency indicators of the occupational safety management system in its assessment.

An expert assessment identifies performance indicators for the occupational safety management system that confirm the influence of the level of professional competence of occupational safety specialists on changes in the effectiveness and efficiency indicators of the organization's occupational safety activities, both directly and indirectly.

In today's world, occupational safety and health during the operation of lifting equipment in rail transport is a high priority. This article will examine risk factors, statistics on violations and failures, propose risk assessment and mitigation methods, and develop a set of technical and organizational measures to ensure greater safety.

The article addresses the problem of the human factor dominance as a key cause of occupational injuries in high-risk industries, using railway transport as an example. In contrast to traditional reactive approaches, a comprehensive proactive methodology is proposed, integrating cognitive modeling of cause-and-effect relationships with probabilistic-statistical profiling of professional suitability. The core of the research is an original mathematical model of the "human-technology-environment" system, formalized using the theory of weighted graphs and fuzzy cognitive maps. Based on it, a new method for quantitative assessment of an employee's compliance with the profession has been developed through the construction of a benchmark statistical profile. The effectiveness of integrating FMEA and HRA methods into the algorithm for risk-based design of technological processes is proven. Testing confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed solutions, resulting in a statistically significant reduction in the injury rate. The scientific novelty lies in the synthesis of cognitive and qualimetric approaches, which allows for a transition from stating errors to predicting and systematically minimizing risks caused by the human factor.

The article considers modern and perspective technologies of fire safety (FS) on the rolling stock of railway transportation. The article analyzes innovative solutions - from aerosol and gas extinguishing units to the use of infrared sensors, addressable signaling and artificial intelligence modules. The necessity of transition from traditional threshold systems to intellectualized and predictive complexes capable of predicting the development of emergency situations and managing the security system in real time is substantiated.

The paper proposes a new method for assessing the risk of exposure to hazards, taking into account the influence of the human factor. The assessment involves the use of four main parameters: the probability of exposure to a hazard, the probability of an employee being exposed to a hazard, the state of a person in which they no longer perceive a hazard, which is characterized by a complex of psychophysiological properties of a person's personality that determines their safe interaction in the "human-technical system-production environment" system, and the severity of adverse consequences. The method of assessing the risk of exposure to hazards, taking into account the human factor, provides practical applicability for managers of industrial enterprises and occupational safety services, helping to improve the effectiveness of preventive measures and adapt occupational risk assessment strategies to different industries.

The article is devoted to the analysis of communication threats to the information and psychological security of individuals in the digital environment. The main types of threats are examined, including cyberbullying, phishing, deception, and consciousness manipulation. Special attention is paid to the psychological mechanisms of manipulative influence, such as the exploitation of feelings of guilt, pity, obligation, and fear. The author describes methods for recognizing and countering manipulation, as well as offers practical recommendations for safe behavior in online and offline communications. The article emphasizes the importance of developing media literacy and critical thinking for protection against destructive information and psychological influence.

The article examines content threats to the information and psychological security of individuals in the context of societal digitalization. The authors analyze the characteristic features of negative information and psychological influence, classify types of content threats, and define criteria for their maliciousness. Special attention is paid to fake information, its evolution, dissemination methods, and recognition techniques. The influence of destructive content on the traditional spiritual and moral values of Russian society is investigated. Based on the conducted analysis, approaches to enhancing the resilience of individuals and social groups to content threats are proposed.

In the course of experiments conducted in confined spaces of power plant wagons, unfavorable working conditions of operators were revealed [1-5]. The most critical were the exceedances of vibroacoustic parameters. Verification of the results, carried out using the tools of uncertainty theory, made it possible to separate systematic and random errors, which is extremely necessary to assess the reliability of sanitary and hygienic control [6-7]. A special role in this process was played by the identification of sources of local acoustic anomalies, which translates the task from a purely measuring to an engineering diagnostic plane. Based on the obtained measurement results, experimental data were processed and a confidence interval was determined. The article provides an example of a calculation for one room, as calculations for other rooms are performed in the same way and are not presented due to the bulkiness. The presented work not only confirms the correctness of the measurements performed, but also sets a vector for improving occupational safety methods, combining metrological accuracy with applied engineering solutions to protect personnel from harmful industrial factors.

Considering the acoustic characteristics of industrial premises is an important aspect when developing noise reduction measures. This article examines the problem of background acoustic noise in industrial premises – its sources, characteristics, impact on personnel health and performance, as well as methods for monitoring and reducing noise levels.

The article presents the results of a comprehensive study of working conditions and health risk assessment for locomotive crews engaged in mainline operations. Quantitative relationships between harmful occupational factors (vibration, acoustic, chemical, microclimatic, and biological) and the indicators of occupationally conditioned and occupational diseases were established. Organizational, technical, and sanitary-hygienic measures aimed at reducing occupational risks and preserving the health of locomotive crew members were developed and scientifically substantiated. The socio-economic efficiency of the proposed measures is demonstrated.

This article analyzes current working conditions at a large Russian manufacturing enterprise, Rostselmash JSC, identifying key risks to worker health and safety and proposing a practical set of measures aimed at reducing occupational injuries and diseases and increasing productivity. The recommendations are based on an analysis of open data on the enterprise's operations, current occupational safety regulations, and international safety management practices. An implementation plan and an assessment of the expected effects are presented.

Using the example of the proposed model of freight train movement with a given track profile and different series of traction rolling stock with given technical characteristics, the practice of determining the life cycle cost of traction rolling stock by options was implemented. Examples of using the obtained results to optimize the life cycle costs of traction rolling stock are also given.

The article discusses the current issues of using thermal imaging diagnostics to assess the technical condition of diesel engines in locomotives. It analyzes the physical principles of the method, the key objects of control, and typical thermal anomalies. The article focuses on the practical aspects of measuring, interpreting thermograms, and integrating thermal imaging diagnostics into the preventive maintenance system for traction rolling stock. It demonstrates the economic benefits of the method, including the prevention of sudden failures and reduced costs for repair.

Overview information on failures and malfunctions of wheelsets of main electric locomotives, which may be affected by electromechanical transients in the form of torque of traction engines, is presented. The current state of scientific study of this issue is briefly considered. The relevance of research has been determined.

This article analyzes the existing methods of mathematical modeling in the problems of calculating pneumatic processes that occur during braking or releasing the brakes in freight trains.

The transition from deterministic, tolerance, statistical and probabilistic paradigms to a risk-oriented concept in rail transport is considered. The presented approach aims at optimizing the "quality - cost - risk" ratio, which contributes to increasing competitiveness in the entire machine-building industry. An analysis of current problems has been carried out, the possible ways of development of methodology as well as models and methods of justification of design-technological risks in the field of railway engineering and system in general are considered. Examples of risk-oriented strategy to replace the main friction nodes are presented, using the example of a center bowl and pivot, which minimizes the risks of failures along the way.

The interaction of the working pairs of the braking device with the clamping mechanism during the movement of the electric train trolley on a turn is analyzed. The resulting roll of the wheelset leads to the formation of local contact areas of the pad with the surfaces of the brake disc. As a result, there is uneven interaction within not only one wheelset, but also unevenness within one brake unit. To eliminate this drawback, an improved design of the clamping mechanism has been proposed, allowing the pads to rotate in three planes, which increases the contact area of the working pairs. An actuator was used to adjust the interacting pads with the disc surface. Computer simulation of the braking process by power devices with serial and improved clamping mechanisms was carried out. The use of a brake with an improved clamping mechanism has reduced braking time by 1.28 times compared to the standard brake. The normal forces in contact were reduced by 57.5 times, which showed an increase in braking efficiency when passing curved sections of the track.

This article presents a method for solving a contact problem for determining stresses and strains in structural elements connected by an interference fit, using the ANSYS finite element software package. The contacting elements are geometrically represented by thick-walled hollow cylinders, with the outer diameter of the inner cylinder (shaft) being larger than the inner diameter of the outer cylinder (sleeve). The investigated range of initial penetration (interference) was 0.1 mm to 1 mm. The normal stresses on the contact surface, the equivalent von Mises stresses in the contacting elements, and the total strains in them were determined.

The article examines modern trends and innovative approaches to the repair of traction electric motors. It explores promising directions for the development of repair technologies. The practical significance of the work lies in the possibility of applying the presented recommendations to improve the quality of repairs and increase the inter-repair intervals of traction electric motors.

The article considers a specific case of the assignment problem – the locomotive assignment problem (to a single train). The proposed solution is to take into account locomotive reliability indicators. Currently, the set of requirements for locomotive reliability established by regulatory, technical, and design documentation effectively constitutes a master model of locomotive reliability. That master model is used to improve maintenance and repair and the operation process, but is not applied in process of locomotive assigning to a train. To select a locomotive with the appropriate reliability for a train, it is proposed to calculate the technical condition coefficient КТС using individual reliability indicators. A comparison of technical condition coefficient (КТС) of several locomotives has been carried out. The solution under consideration is a possible way to intellectualize the process of locomotive assigning to a train.

The cooling unit of the brake disc performs the role of dissipating heat energy into the environment. The analysis of sources devoted to thermal stress accumulated on work surfaces showed an increase in the accuracy of forecasting temperature fields, stress-strain state and service life under thermal fatigue conditions due to the use of thermal and thermoelastic models with moving heat sources. In the analyzed literature sources devoted to convective heat exchange from the surfaces of the ventilation apparatus, the thermal problem associated with air flows is mainly solved, the main parameters of which change in one plane of the ventilation apparatus, while the change in air flows in the volume of the channels of the cooling unit is not considered in the research process. Constructive solutions that change the shape of the fins or segments of the cooling unit increase the average flow rate and heat transfer capacity from the fin surfaces, without taking into account the flow mode of the air flow. Based on the analysis carried out, it is necessary to turbulate the flow and reduce the size of the air layers located along the walls of the ribs and the non-working surfaces of the half-discs when constructing ventilation ducts.

swrtfvf ,mThis article examines the features and comparative characteristics of modern radiative heat transfer models used in physical heat engineering. The relevance of this study is due to the complexity of the mathematical description of energy transfer processes by electromagnetic waves. The aim of this study is to analyze and systematize existing radiative heat transfer models, identifying their advantages and limitations for practical application. Five main models are analyzed: the discrete radiative transfer model, the radiation model, the Rosseland model, the surface-to-surface model, and the discrete ordinate model. For each model, the following are considered: mathematical apparatus; scope of application; advantages and limitations; and implementation features. This article systematizes knowledge of radiative heat transfer models, enabling the selection of the optimal calculation method for specific engineering problems.

The article is devoted to the analysis of the application of information technologies used to optimize the technical content of electric rolling stock, the features of such a tool as digital twins are considered.

The article analyzes the global and domestic experience of using alternative fuels in railway transport. The technical and economic aspects of using liquefied natural gas and biofuels are considered. Special attention is paid to Russian developments: GT1h gas-turbine locomotives and TEM19 diesel locomotives. Based on a comparative analysis, promising development areas have been identified for Russian Railways.

The methodology is substantiated and an algorithm for modeling multilayer insulation of traction electric motors is developed, which is a simple but promising tool that allows the application of layer adhesion zone modeling strategies in the engineering analysis of problems of the occurrence and growth of cracks, using the capabilities of the finite element method. The results of modeling the propagation of fatigue damage in normal and tangential stress modes, as well as in a mixed loading mode, show that the law of accumulation of fatigue damage differs for the propagation of delamination in different modes due to differences in the mechanism of development. It should be noted that the development of an effective model for the accumulation of fatigue damage requires a large amount of experimental data, which is currently in short supply.

This article examines modern metal-powder flaw detectors as promising non-destructive testing tools for ferromagnetic materials. Key trends in equipment development are assessed, including the use of highly sensitive sensors, automated powder application processes, and the introduction of digital visualization systems and machine vision algorithms for interpreting defect indicators. Particular attention is paid to a comparative study of the effectiveness of various types and modifications of metal-powder systems and magnetic field configurations when testing complex geometry components. The advantages of modern systems in improving diagnostic accuracy, reducing human intervention and involvement, and expanding the scope of application of the method are demonstrated.

The third stage of development of the Baikal-Amur and Trans-Siberian highways provides for an increase in the carrying capacity of the Eastern polygon of Russian Railways to 270 million tons by 2032 and is accompanied by an increase in the volume of both construction and track repair. The technological resource for these works is special self-propelled rolling stock, the technical readiness of which is maintained by the repair base. As of April 1, 2025, the unified Eastern Directorate for the operation of track machines has been abolished; its functions have been transferred to the mechanization services within the infrastructure directorates of the four railways of the polygon. Repair is carried out in two organizational circuits: by the economic method using the services of mechanization and under a contract with a network contractor. It has been established that 18% of the fleet is classified as non-operational, the actual production of machines is two to four times lower than the passport value due to the limited duration of technological "windows", and the repair enterprises of the eastern roads have the lowest own capacities, despite the highest demand. Four systemic contradictions have been formulated: the aging and heterogeneity of the fleet, the multiple increase in demand (according to the forecast) for track work in 20242030, the spatial and seasonal mismatch between the placement and utilization of repair capacities and the demand, and the lack of a formalized criterion for distributing work between the economic and contractual execution circuits. Based on these findings, practical directions for the development of the repair base have been substantiated, and the scientific task of its rational solution by 2030 has been formulated. 

This article examines the concept of an automated system for calculating permissible intertrain spacing on the Belorechenskaya – Tuapse electrified section of the North Caucasus Railway using energy storage systems. It is shown that one of the factors limiting the capacity of railway lines is the operating modes of the traction power supply system, especially on sections with complex track profiles and high train traffic volumes. The relevance of using energy storage systems to capture excess energy from regenerative braking and subsequently use it for train traction is substantiated. This paper examines the specific features of the Belorechenskaya-Tuapse section, which is characterized by significant volumes of regenerative energy due to long descents and climbs. The paper presents the structure of an automated system, including a digital model of the traction network, subsystems for monitoring train conditions and energy storage device status, as well as modules for forecasting and calculating permissible intertrain intervals. It is demonstrated that the use of a digital twin of the section and machine learning methods improves the accuracy of forecasting traction power supply system operating modes. The energy, economic, and environmental benefits of the proposed solution are highlighted, including increased line capacity, reduced train delays, reduced electricity consumption, a reduced carbon footprint, and improved regenerative energy efficiency.