For the third consecutive year, the Association of American Railroads has honored Metra for its safety initiatives, this time for an employee-produced newsletter that promotes safety and operational excellence among engineers and crew members on the Rock Island Line.
The recognition came at the recent Railroad Safety Leadership Forum in Fort Worth, Texas, an annual event that brings together railroads from around the country to highlight achievements in personal safety and injury prevention and provide a venue to share best practices.
Metra was honored for “The Partnership,” a monthly newsletter promoting safety and operational excellence among engineers and crew members on Metra’s Rock Island Line. The newsletter was the brainchild of J. J. Balonek, the newly elected general chairman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, and James Grogans, Metra Road Foreman of Engines. Together they explored ways to improve safety, reduce rule violations and increase communication and awareness among the engineers who operate on the district.
With limited resources but a strong commitment to promoting safety in the workplace, they launched a four-page newsletter in November 2014. The first issue highlighted several operational and safety tips, included rules reminders and emphasized the importance of holding proper job briefings. It also encouraged locomotive engineers to write up mechanical issues they experience and offered some troubleshooting tips. The most important take-away from the first issue of “The Partnership” was that every single engineer and crew member witnessed two key leaders working together to improve safety and address operational issues on the line.
“We continue to stress that safety is our number one priority at Metra and that goes for our customers and our employees. ‘The Partnership’ newsletter is truly a partnership in helping to ensure that the workplace is safe for all employees. I appreciate this collaboration and the positive impact it is having on our staff,” said Metra Executive Director/CEO Don Orseno.
This is the third year in a row that Metra has been recognized for its best practices in safety. Last year the Safety and Interactive Management team from Elgin was honored for making Metra a safer system for employees and passengers. In 2013, Metra’s 47th Street Diesel Shop team was honored. Two Metra workers were instrumental in helping the shop’s 43 employees work injury-free for six years.
“We take safety very seriously at Metra. We encourage peer support and monitoring. At the end of the day, we want everyone to return home to their families safely,” said Metra Safety Director Hilary Konczal.