A cumulative trauma claim under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act arises when a railroad worker sustains an injury that developed gradually over time as a result of repeated exposure to harmful working conditions that the employee is assigned to on the job. This can involve exposure to repetitive motions, excessive force vibrations, heavy lifting, awkward positions, walking over uneven surfaces etc, rather than there being one specific date of injury or one single identifiable incident. Common examples of this, in Engine Service, are whole body vibrations from the locomotive, failure to install safe seats on locomotives, riding over rough track, and slack action. In Train Service it may manifest itself involving the throwing of switches, tying hand brakes, walking on uneven and improperly compacted ballast, as well as slack action. For Maintenance of Way workers it may involve lifting and carrying heavy ties or rail, throwing improperly maintained switches, or walking on uneven ballast. Injuries from these types of exposure slowly worsens over time until it simply becomes too difficult and painful to continue working and the employee finds himself or herself facing significant surgery because of injury to nerves, ligaments, disc, joints, muscles, etc. The Railroad's position is that the only causes of these types of injuries are old age or a pre-existing condition that the person was born with. The truth is that the Railroads in virtually every craft has known for years that their failure to provide a reasonably safe place to work, safe, proper and suitable tools and equipment, and to properly train their employees have resulted in their workers sustaining serious cumulative trauma injuries.