Blitzes, new machinery help KCS crews focus on safety

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor

Kansas City Southern (KCS) says transportation and safety teams from Kansas City Southern de Mexico (KCSM) and KCS met in Laredo, Texas, for a safety blitz, which covered observation and testing of safety behaviors, such as slip trip and fall prevention and switching techniques; star rules for vehicles, equipment and tools inspections; securing equipment and air brake testing and General Code of Operating Rules, such as shove movements and safe and efficient switching.

 

Recently, the KCSM safety team completed a new civil protection plan for the Jalapa and TAT terminals. The plan includes CPR, as well as evacuation and rescue drills. KCSM has a plan for each building with involvement from each employee who works there.

Additionally, this year, KCS’s system production gangs have been working at some of the farthest points on the system, improving ties and rail to keep the railroad in a healthy maintenance cycle. So far, gangs have performed work on the New Orleans, Laredo, Beaumont and Pittsburg Subdivisions and will soon move on to the Mexico (Missouri) and Roodhouse Subdivisions.

Assistant Vice President Engineering Standards and Production Shawn Vecellio says that one of the best assets available to the system production gangs is new machinery. The new 2015 machines are starting to arrive and replace older equipment.

The 2015 Summer Spike safety awareness campaign is ongoing to help the system production gangs focus on what is required to work safely, in the elements, during the high production season.

 

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