WASHINGTON, D.C. -- New federal regulations take aim at reducing mistakes that result in train accidents and derailments. The Federal Railroad Administration is forming a National Rail Safety Action Plan to address the role of human error in train accidents.

The administration said improperly lined track switches and failing to determine if the track ahead is clear are just a few examples of human error. The plan hopes to hold employees more accountable.

Upstate New York has seen a number of train accidents and derailments in the past two years. In December of 2006, a CSX employee died when a remote controlled train hit his truck at the CSX railyard in Minoa. The driver was backing up over the tracks at the time.

Among the new rules in place, a requirement that when a remote controlled train begins to move, either the operator or a crew member of that train must visually observe the direction the train is moving.