Winter Freeze 2020-2021

Team members can earn a $200 bonus for great safety ideas!

Watco’s new Winter FREEZE program offers cold, hard cash – and it’s underway now

Team members who would like to increase their paychecks by $200 will want to consider participating in Watco’s new Winter FREEZE safety program, effective December 1.

FREEZE stands for Following Rules Every Day Ensures Zero Errors. Watco designed the program to create safer work environments. In previous years under the FREEZE program, a team member would be rewarded for simply following the rules. But this year, the program has a twist.

“We want to hear from you,” said Travis Herod, Watco Senior Vice President of environmental health and safety. “Safety is everyone’s responsibility. And no one knows what’s going on in the field better than our team members do.”

How it works

Between now and March 31, when team members spot a near-miss incident or have a safety idea, whether it is winter-related or not – they can tell their local managers about it. The managers then will enter the suggestions into Watco’s Velocity VHS system. Each month, Watco’s safety leadership team will compile all the entries and select the ones with the most potential to prevent an accident or solve a safety issue.

“Each winner will receive a $200 bonus, after taxes, in their paycheck,” Herod said.

There are lots of opportunities to win. Herod said the team will select up to four winners from each Watco Service Area for up to 16 winners each month, or more, if there are truly exceptional near miss or safety suggestions with great corrective actions.

Real-world examples

To give team members an idea of what to look for, Herod offered two success stories from last year. The first is a great example of what he calls a “leading safety indicator” or near-miss that, if identified, reported and corrected, could prevent a future accident. Herod and his team will begin tracking leading safety indicators as another way to measure safety.

A low-hanging electrical wire

A team member at Watco’s Omaha mechanical shop was conducting a four-second walkaround of a railcar when he spotted an electrical wire hanging

above the vehicle. Knowing his job was to work on top of the railcar and seeing that the live wire was not high enough to provide adequate clearance, the spotter and his crew stopped operations and changed their SOPs (standard operating procedure) to prohibit work on top of railcars on that track. His fast thinking kept everyone safe and might have helped prevent possible electrocution.

Lack of awareness

Watco’s Grand Elk Railroad in Michigan had reopened a rail line that hadn’t operated for years. But the public, having grown accustomed to the track being inactive, continued to ignore the flashing railroad crossings signals. To increase public safety, team members decided not to shove cars on the track but instead put the locomotive in the lead, using its lights, bells, and whistles to supplement the crossing signal. The team also alerted local police to the now-active track, printed a notice in the newspaper and contacted Operation Lifesaver® to help spread the word. Watco partners with Operation Lifesaver nationwide, on the three E’s (Engineering, Education, & Enforcement) of Railroad trespassing and grade crossing safety and works closely with communities to raise rail safety awareness among the public.

“The team’s safety measures not only protected the lives of our people but the community we operate in,” Herod said.

Where to get more info

More information about Watco’s Winter FREEZE safety program will be posted on Watco Vision, social media, and in weekly emails. Those with questions about the program can ask their local leadership, division safety manager, or anyone on the safety team.