Are you up for the challenge? Winter FREEZE March Winners
The Watco safety team has selected the third group of Winter FREEZE safety award winners. Thanks to all 10 of these team members for recognizing these hazards and taking preventative action before they became incidents. Name: Anna Peterson,
Name: Emanuel Martinez,
conductor
conductor/engineer
Location: Fryburg, North
Location: Greens Port,
Dakota, Dedicated Terminal
Houston, Texas
Safety Suggestion/Near Miss:
Safety Suggestion/Near Miss:
Peterson was verifying a track when she observed
While switching railcars loaded with wind turbine
oily residue at the top of a loaded tank car. She
blades, track protection was dropped, and Martinez
immediately used Stop Work Authority and
was given all-clear instructions. When shoving to
notified the manager in charge. The car was
the dock track, a group of workers crossed the track.
inspected, and it was determined that the car was
Martinez used his Stop Work Authority to stop all
slowly leaking from the product valve between the
movement.
flange and gasket.
Solution: A job briefing was held with others in the
Solution: The car was offloaded and staged for repair. This prevented a release of product with potential for injury and a loss to the customer. Name: Jordan Garcia, operator Location: Sauget Cahokia Marine Terminal, Sauget, Illinois Safety Suggestion/Near Miss:
area to ensure no one would foul the live track. Name: Zarion Anderson, conductor Location: Baton Rouge Southern Railroad, Baton Rouge, Louisiana Safety Suggestion/ Near Miss: Anderson reported a near-miss incident that occurred while he was in the
Garcia reported a gap in the railing on a rail-to-truck
process of making a shoving movement in the yard
loadout platform. The gap was estimated to be large
and his radio malfunctioned.
enough for someone to fit through, resulting in a fall from about a 12-foot elevation. Reporting the gap may have prevented a fall and serious injury.
Solution: The engineer in the locomotive followed procedure when communication with the conductor is lost and stopped within half the
Solution: The area was red-flagged and taped off,
distance specified. This possibly prevented an
preventing team members from entering the area,
uncontrolled-movement accident.
until a contactor arrived to fill the gap with permanent railing and toe boarding. 12 The Dispatch | April 2022
