NS, BRS Partner to Enhance Safety
Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor, Railway Age
Norfolk Southern (NS) and the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS) on Oct. 19 announced a partnership to create the Signal Safety Collaboration initiative, a one-year pilot program developed with input from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which will “establish a collaborative process—including joint inspections, information sharing and training—to identify further improvements and best practices that enhance signal safety.”
The collaborative initiative was announced in a joint letter from BRS President Michael Baldwin and NS Vice President, Engineering Ed Boyle sent to all craft employees represented by the BRS.
The full text of the letter follows below:
“Today marks another big step forward in how labor and management are coming together at Norfolk Southern to strengthen rail safety.
“The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen will partner with Norfolk Southern to create an innovative new program called the Signal Safety Collaboration. The one-year pilot will identify opportunities to enhance signal safety for the benefit of our colleagues and the communities in which we operate.
“The Federal Railroad Administration provided valuable input as BRS and Norfolk Southern developed the program and will serve as a technical advisor in its implementation. FRA supports this initiative as a significant opportunity to further build trust between all members of the railroad community.
“The first phase includes field visits, team-building sessions, and working meetings to gather input from front-line supervisors and craft employees. To ensure all participants can speak up and provide candid, critical feedback, Norfolk Southern has underscored its commitment that no one will face adverse impacts from input they provide through the program.
“To ensure the program produces tangible improvements, Norfolk Southern and BRS have mutually committed to work together to implement findings from the program. They have also agreed to advocate together in favor of regulatory changes that emerge as opportunities to enhance safety. Moving forward, BRS and Norfolk Southern will hold quarterly reviews on safety and issue timely updates on the work of the program.
“This innovative initiative is only possible through the good working relationships that exist between Norfolk Southern, BRS and the FRA. We are united by our shared commitment to the wellbeing of our people and will build on this partnership to help make Norfolk Southern the gold standard for safety in the rail industry.
“We will provide more information on this program as it develops.”
