No company operating a railroad over thirty miles in length or an interurban railroad or street railway over four miles in length shall permit a conductor, engineer, fireman, brakeman, or trainman on a train, a telegraph operator, or a conductor or motorman on a street railway, who has worked as such for fifteen consecutive hours, again to go on duty or perform work until he has had at least eight hours' rest, except in cases of detention of trains or cars caused by accident, unavoidable or otherwise. Such companies shall so regulate the hours of employment of their employees that each employee shall have at least eight consecutive hours of rest in each period of twenty-four hours.
A railroad company which knowingly violates this section shall forfeit not less than five hundred nor more than one thousand dollars for the first offense, and for any subsequent offense, not less than one thousand nor more than fifteen hundred dollars, to be recovered by civil action in the name of the state.
R.C. § 4973.11