STOP and Think Safety
Learn from your mistakes. This is a luxury that may give employees in some industries a sense of flexibility, but not in railroading. The nature of our industry presents a laundry list of safety concerns. Whether you're driving spikes or walking to your car on a snowy day, take a minute, stop, and think safety.
To let new employees know that the number one priority is to stay safe, they go through an extensive 3-day program. They study the company's safety rulebook and are tested on it.
According to Construction Engineer Jeff Rose, new employees should be made aware of the uniqueness of the rail industry. He used the example of working on a welded rail project, where what someone is doing 600-800 feet away can affect your safety. He added that track crewmen should be conscious of what is going on at a job site at all times.
Engineering Personnel and Safety Manager Mike Daly believes that familiarity can breed its own type of hazards. "It's the guy who has been here a long time and takes things for granted and who takes shortcuts that worries me."
Daly gives safety classes year-round throughout the system on protective equipment, cold weather gear and on dealing with chemicals. During his classes he goes over with the crews how to get any safety information they need along with FRA and NORAC rules.
"I tell each employee to take a little time out during each project to look around them and look for any hazards," said Daly. He added that supervisors must take a proactive role in keeping their workplace safe. To do that they have to understand that giving someone a STOP for their perfomance is not giving a reprimand but highlighting a problem before someone gets hurt.
For Waterville Track Supervisor Scott Dyer, having his crews go over the safety rule of the day each morning serves as a constant reminder of the dangers their job can entail.
"This gives us a time to give instruction on the rule, answer any questions about it and talk about anything else concerning safety," said Dyer. "We follow that up by giving our crews the best instruction throughout the day. If we see any part of the job being done wrong we'll do a STOP and go over it."
According to Mechanical Safety and Rules Director Tim McNulty this procedure is the best method to prevent complacency. "It gives us the opportunity to either correct or commend the employee on their work."
A careful log of each type of training given is kept. It is routinely compared to the type of STOPs given to identify deficiencies in training. The key to any safety program is the mid-level management. Foreman and supervisors have to stress that safety is #1 no matter what the urgency of the job, and they must lead by example.