Short Line Safety Institute Hosts 200th Hazmat Training Event

Photo courtesy SLSI

WASHINGTON, D.C. –– The Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) completed its 200th Hazardous Materials training event this week, hosted by the TGS Group in Baytown, Texas.

To date, the Safety Institute has conducted 392 classes, with 6,786 short line and regional railroad employees along with first responders from 1,050 organizations completing training since the inception of the program.

As a result of the Safety Culture Assessments (SCAs) conducted by the SLSI on short lines around the country, officials discovered a need for supplemental training on the safe movement of hazmat and the need to communicate and coordinate with first responders during incident pre-planning, mitigation, and recovery efforts.

Hands-On Training with Tank Car Valves

John Vergis, Hazardous Materials/Environmental Officer at the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway, said “Part of the mission of the Wheeling & Lake Erie Hazardous Materials Department is to ensure that first responders have the knowledge and confidence to handle railroad incidents safely and effectively. The collaboration and engagement we see from participants during the classes that are conducted by SLSI is outstanding. We are proud to work with SLSI to bring our responders quality training. Their programs focus on safety culture, leadership and emergency response training and work to ensure a safer and more resilient rail industry.”

Reviewing Tank Car Markings

The SLSI safety training began in 2018 and was supported by a grant from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration (PHMSA). In 2022, the SLSI began to offer training that included first responders, provided by an Assistance for Local Emergency Response Training (ALERT) grant from PHMSA.

Training Class at the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad

Timothy Slusser, General Manager of the Ohio and Central Railroad, said “The experience and knowledge that SLSI trainers bring both to the classroom and field portions of training are invaluable. This type of training is so important to our first responders and gives them the opportunity to familiarize themselves with railroad equipment in a training atmosphere with instructors who have been involved in all types of real-world scenarios. If you have the opportunity to utilize SLSI, you will be providing top-tier training for your group.”

To contact the Short Line Safety Institute to schedule training or for more information, go to https://www.shortlinesafety.org/training