Winter Freeze 2020-2021

The Watco safety team has selected the third group of Winter Freeze safety award winners. Thanks to all ten of these team members for recognizing these hazards and taking preventative action before they became incidents.

Name: Michael Remedies, Inbound Inspector

Location: Zwolle, Louisiana, Railcar and Mechanical Repair Shop

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: While performing an inspection, Remedies discovered that a rung had broken loose from the running board, making the handhold insecure.

Solution: A new process was created to flag/tag equipment with issues found during the initial inbound inspection so others aren’t caught by surprise.

Name: Aaron Day, Railcar Repairman

Location: Coffeyville Kansas, Railcar and Mechanical Repair Shop

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: While returning equipment to a storage area, Day realized that ice and snow accumulation had created a potential slip/trip hazard, especially dangerous if moving a heavy object.

Solution: Day cleared the snow and applied salt to the area, making it safer for his teammates.

Name: Carlos Arciga, Railcar Repairman

Location: Omaha, Nebraska, Railcar and Mechanical Repair Shop

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: Arciga noticed a boxcar’s door pins had been removed/partially removed. The doors are heavy, and this unsafe condition could have resulted in a major incident.

Solution: After securing the doors, the team investigated the tampering, reviewed site security, and now start the day with an equipment assessment, even if a team member worked on the equipment the day prior.

Name: Dale Pape, Conductor/Engineer

Location: Ann Arbor Railroad

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: Pape found a guard missing from the fireman’s side cab heater.

Solution: He protected it until it was repaired. Unguarded fans cause injuries, so his keen eye possibly prevented an incident.

Name: Nate Burke, Terminal Manager

Location: Toledo, Oregon, Switching

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss:

Burke noticed that our customer had installed a blue light near the tracks. For railroads, that color signifies that someone is on, under, or between equipment.

Solution: Our team worked with the customer to change the color to avoid confusion.

Name: Chris Cline, Track Laborer

Location: Lubbock & Western Railway

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: The team was frequently moving fuel cans, which are heavy and awkward to move.

Solution: To improve safety and efficiency, Cline suggested moving a frequently used equipment fuel tank from a fixed-ground position to a truck bed that had extra space.

Name: Parker Johnson, ConductorLocation: Kaw River Railroad

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: When entering and exiting the telehandler cab, Johnson recognized that the platform was slick.

Solution: The team quickly repainted the floor with texture to increase traction on the walking surface, hopefully preventing a slip/trip injury.

Name: Dalton Want, Operator

Location: Oklahoma City Transload Terminal

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: Want saw that their fuel transfer tank was installed on a half-ton pickup. The tank was too heavy, creating an overload hazard.

Solution: The team moved the tank to a heavierduty flatbed truck capable of properly carrying the tank, eliminating excess wear on the lightduty vehicle and the risk of overexertion injury from lifting the heavy tank and hose.

Name: Brandon LaFountain, Conductor

Location: Tioga Dedicated Terminal

LaFountain noticed while checking a switch that a portion of the switch point had broken.

Solution: He prevented a potential derailment by immediately locking out and tagging the switch as out-of-service pending repair.

Name: Joseph Rowan, Material Handler

Location: Greens Port Industrial Terminals

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss:

Rowan recognized that carrying pressure-washer hoses between levels of the loadout tower was awkward and difficult and could result in injury.

Solution: His team is in the midst of a project to place water access, valves, and other connections on each level, removing a trip hazard on the stairs and making access more efficient.