theconductor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> OPRRMS Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > theconductor Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> >
>
> >
> > Risk management doesn't enhance safety, it
> hinders
> > it.
> >
> FSI is lower now than it has ever been. Something
> is working!
>
> >
> > > Of course it's not going to prevent all
> > injuries,
> > > but if it stops just one isn't it worth it?
> Are
> > > you going to tell me that not one persons
> life
> > of
> > > limb has been spared because of better
> > visibility?
> > > I have seen a carmen run over a trainman in
> > broad
> > > daylight. You can't tell me that not once a
> > > conductor or carman or other employee has
> > avoided
> > > being hit by a car on a dark yard road
> because
> > the
> > > shiny reflective strip caught a drivers eyes.
> > > Likewise an engineer. Again, if just one
> person
> > is
> > > saved it's worth it to me. I could be that
> > > person.
> >
> > Wearing a reflective vest may indeed prevent
> one
> > from being hit by a vehicle on a dark road, but
> it
> > won't deter a locomotive or car. BNSF had a
> > fatality in its yard in Tulsa early Wednesday
> > morning. I bet that person was wearing the
> > required PPE equipment.
>
> Unless the vest created the incident then you have
> no argument. The amount injuries that happen is
> irrelevant (unless of course they were caused by
> the vest), it's the amount of injuries that
> didn't.
> >
> >
> > Really? I've found that now that everyone's
> > wearing the same color, it's hard to keep
> focused
> > on which person is giving the hand signals.
> Used
> > to be that if Bill was wearing a red shirt and
> Joe
> > was wearing a blue shirt, I could tell them
> apart
> > from 30 cars away and keep my eyes focused on
> > whichever one gave me the last sign. But no
> more.
> > Now eveyone's green. It's even worse now that
> > there are so many students attached to the
> crews.
> > Green vests everywhere.
>
> I see how that could be confusing, but all an
> engineer has to do is request using the radio of
> two crews are in the same area. Otherwise only one
> person per crew should be using hand signals.
> >
> > >snip<
> >
> > > I agree with you that a lot of the above
> > mentioned
> > > things are redundant. I personally hate the
> job
> > > briefing books, but if the company wants me
> to
> > > spend my paid time filling one out and
> reading
> > > countless new bulletins then what do I care?
> > They
> > > pay me, they can use my time however they
> want.
> > > I'm going home in 12 regardless!
> >
> > I, too, don't care how long it takes. The main
> > problem with the RVSU's new job breifing book
> is
> > that it is a company document that you are
> > required to sign after filling it out. There
> are
> > various fields in it, such as the one that
> > requires you to write in what your commitment
> to
> > safety is for the day, that the company can use
> > against you in a FELA case. Thus, it transfers
> > responsibility (i.e., liablilty) from the
> company
> > to the employee.
>
> I have the same book being in the RVSU and until
> the company actually uses anyone's commitment to
> safety against them in a FELA case you are just
> making unfounded assumptions.
> >
> >
> > The unions aren't involved in the hiring
> process.
> > That's done entirely by the railroad.
>
> And they shouldn't be.

Let's see if I can answer some of your questions.

So if you're an employee of the RVSU, you're undoubtedly familiar with the "Summer Spike" program that happens every summer, because of the increase in injuries that happen during the summer. If you were working during the last week of July, you should've been contacted by a manager and given a presentation called "Draving A Line In The Sand," which Mr. Perry ordered to be circulated to Service Unit employees as a result of the recent increase in injuries that have happened. And if you worked Monday thru Thursday of this week, you might have encountered one or more of the "swarm teams" that were out testing Service Unit employees as a followup to the "Line In The Sand" thing. If you were a participant in either of these things, it would've been explained to you that injures are on the rise, as is typically the case this time of year, regardless of whether we wear our green vests or fill out our New And Improved, 4-page-per-trip, job briefing books.

To respond to your assertion that it's mere assumption on my part that the company will use the signed-and-certified information in the employees' job briefing book as a discipline tool or in FELA lawsuits, use of the new books have only been mandatory since July 1st, so not enough time has passed to see what'll really happen. Are you aware that Mr. Perry has already issued instructions that disciple will be assessed on two levels, one level for an "improperly" filled out book and another for not filling it out at all? What's "improper" will be left to the determination of the individual manager.

You probably have noticed that the Service Unit has hired dozens upon dozens of new trainmen this year, many of which are currently going through their OJT period. Our job consists of an engineer, foreman and one helper, and we've in the past always been assigned just one student at a time. This year, we get anywere from 1 to 3 students at a time, apparently due to a lack of jobs (business isn't exactly booming) to place all the students on. A major goal of the OJT process is for the crewmembers to teach the students how to give hand and lantern signals, and it's during these hand signal sessions that it can become difficult to distingush from a distance which person is giving the signs since there are now 4 or 5 green vests congragating in a small area. So I try to stay focused on the person's, shall we say, girth. Your suggestion that we use the radio instead of hand signs when the enineer is in sight is not permitted by the various paragraphs of Rule 5.3, and in any event would be contrary to the goal of teaching the students about hand signs.

To answer you question about the BNSF fatality in Tulsa, I know very little about the specifics. It happened in a bowl, so I assume it happened at the ex-SLSF Cherokee Yard. The employee was fatally injured after being struck by moving eqiupment at around 2 AM.