BLET restructures Safety Task Force

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) National Division has restructured its Safety Task Force (STF).

 

The group will maintain a list of primary investigators, as in the past, but has eliminated its list of secondary volunteers. National Secretary Treasurer Stephen Bruno will continue serving as chairman of the STF, while Carl Fields remains coordinator of the STF and Scott Palmer remains the assistant coordinator.

The BLET became the first labor union in the railroad industry to establish a formal accident investigation team when it created the STF in 1989. The STF assists federal agencies in the investigation of rail accidents, helping to determine probable causes and making safety recommendations. The STF is typically granted party status by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to assist with accident investigations, depending on the type and severity of the accident. The STF studies accidents from the viewpoint of locomotive engineers and trainmen to help determine how the accident occurred and how to prevent similar accidents from happening in the future.

“I cannot overstate the importance of our Safety Task Force and our investigations into accidents from the human perspective and more importantly, from the perspective of the operating employees,” BLET National President Dennis Pierce said. “It is a critical part of the National Division’s efforts to look out for the safety of BLET members.”

 

Tags: