Safety Team Wraps Up Winter FREEZE Program

The Watco safety team has selected the final group of Following Rules Every Day Ensures Zero Errors (FREEZE) safety award winners. Thanks to these seven team members for recognizing these hazards and taking preventative action before they became incidents. Team members who identified a hazard or concern and followed up to correct or highlight the issue are being rewarded with a $200 safety bonus.

Chris Hofer, forklift operator

Location: Wood River Transload Terminal (Illinois)

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: Hofer identified an inconsistency in a load received.

Solution: Hofer’s observation prevented an inventory mistake and missed shipment to the customer. Name: John Brown, equipment operator

John Brown, equipment operator

Location: Vicksburg Southern Railroad (Mississippi)

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: Brown noticed that a cross arm on an electrical pole was smoldering.

Solution: After calling 911, the power was shut off, preventing what could have been a serious fire incident.

Joseph Sageser, operator

Location: Ghent Marine Terminal (Kentucky)

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: A customer requested that material be pulled from an incorrect location, something Sageser caught.

Solution: Sageser recognized the inconsistency, preventing material contamination during a melting process that would have created an end product that did not meet specifications.

Jaime Vasquez, heavy equipment operator

Location: Greens Port (Texas)

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: While working a cargo vessel using the ship’s crane, Vasquez identified several strands of broken cable.

Solution: Vasquez exercised Stop Work Authority. The team identified an alternative to unload the vessel, which prevented a safety issue with the crane and a costly delay.

Jeffrey Chadwell, railcar mechanic

Location: Coffeyville Repair and Maintenance Terminal (Kansas)

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: Chadwell identified a worn brake pedal on a material handler.

Solution: The equipment was set aside for repair, preventing an unsafe operating condition.

Brian Howell, railcar mechanic

Location: Dallas Mobile Repair (Texas)

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: During inspection of a grinder prior to use, Howell identified a trigger safety defect, making the tool unsafe for use.

Solution: He removed the tool from service, averting an unsafe operation.

Evan Riner, railcar mechanic

Location: Omaha Repair and Maintenance Terminal (Nebraska)

Safety Suggestion/Near Miss: Riner was reviewing the procedures for operating through overhead doors when he identified a condition in the standard operating procedures that needed to be reviewed and potentially changed.

Solution: The procedure will be updated to help ensure safe operations and location of the second kit.