Revealing the Newest Winter FREEZE Winners

Congratulations to the first 10 winners of the Winter FREEZE (Following Rules Every Day Ensures Zero Errors) safety award! Watco is rewarding these team members with a $200 cash bonus for spotting a hazard, reporting a near-miss incident, or submitting a safety suggestion.

Name: Christopher Klevenberg

Location: Tioga Dedicated Terminal (ND)

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: Klevenberg spoke up after noticing isolation valves were in the failed-open position on a crude rack.

Solution: The facility plans to flip the isolation valve’s actuators to fail-closed.

Name: Aaron Sessions

Location: Ferndale Dedicated Terminal (WA)

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: Sessions found a cracked switch point while clearing snow.

Solution: His discovery prevented a potential derailment and customer delays. The switch was locked out and has since been repaired.

Name: Justin DeWitt

Location: Sauget Cahokia Marine Terminal (IL)

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: DeWitt spoke up after he noticed ladder rungs for the platform on a blend stacker were too close together.

Solution: The ladder rungs were corrected and spaced 10 inches apart.

Name: Cesar Valentin

Location: Greens Port (TX)

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: Valentin reported a stop sign at a rail grade crossing that was located past the railroad tracks.

Solution: The stop sign was moved to prevent drivers from stopping directly on the tracks.

Name: Jeffrey Hillabrand

Location: Omaha Repair and Maintenance Terminal (NE)

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: While reviewing a work order, Hillabrand found that the commodity reported on the safety data sheet was inconsistent with the residual commodity found in the railcar.

Solution: The team met to discuss the importance of reviewing and confirming the residual commodity in the railcar matches the data sheet.

Name: Andy Bennett

Location: Wallula Switching (WA)

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: Bennett noticed a two-by-four sticking out of a railcar door.

Solution: He removed the two-by-four and disposed of it.

Name: Thomas McCalpin

Location: Vicksburg Southern Railroad (MS)

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: A work truck needed immediate repair after lug nuts were broken off on one side.

Solution: McCalpin and the repair team made the necessary repairs.

Name: Lavarius Williams

Location: Baton Rouge Southern Railroad (LA)

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: Williams called the on-duty trainmaster after noticing a switch that was gapped.

Solution: The switch was repaired without incident.

Name: Jeffrey Brawley

Location: St. Charles Industrial Rail (LA)

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: Brawley found a ladder in front of a railcar spot as well as a pipe wrench on the platform.

Solution: The equipment was removed and the team met to discuss safety measures.

Name: James Diehl and Theodore Nicholson

Location: Fox Valley & Lake Superior Rail System (WI)

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: While operating a train, Diehl and Nicholson noticed a railcar fouling the main line.

Solution: They successfully stopped the train before making contact.

Keep the nominations coming. The safety team received 144 safety suggestions and near-miss incident notifications in the month of December. Don’t delay, Winter FREEZE runs through March 31, 2023.