 The
following is a listing of BRC Safety Award Achievements since 1990:
1990 - Memorial Certificate-
E. H. Harriman Memorial Committee
1991 - Silver Medal - E. H. Harriman
Memorial Committee
1995 - Gold Medal - E. H. Harriman Memorial
Committee
1996 - Silver Medal- E. H. Harriman
Memorial Committee
1999 - Gold Medal- E. H. Harriman Memorial
Committee
1999 - Gold Safety Award- American Short
Line & Regional Railroad Association
2000 - Silver Medal- E. H. Harriman
Memorial Committee
2000 - Memorial Certificate- E. H.
Harriman Memorial Committee
2000 - Silver Safety Award-American
Short Line & Regional Railroad Association
2001 - Silver Medal- E. H. Harriman
Memorial Committee
2001 - Gold Safety Award-American Short
Line & Regional Railroad Association |
 The
BRC has a strong safety foundation and history. The employees
of the Belt continuously strive for zero incidents. For the eighth
time since 1990 and for the third year in a row the employees of
the BRC have been recognized by the E. H. Harriman Memorial Committee
for excellence in Safety. Employees of the Belt received the Silver
Medal in the Switching Terminal category for the second year in a
row. Furthermore, for the third year in a row and for the second
time in three years the American Short Line and Regional Railroad
Association presented BRC the Gold Medal for Safety excellence at
it’s annual meeting. The most important element of these achievements
is, fewer employees, people, human beings are experiencing pain and
suffering.
At the BRC, safety is the
culture. Over the last four years, the Belt has improved it’s
infrastructure, removed old, outdated buildings, eliminated scrap and
inventory not needed, updated the locomotive fleet, installed a new
hump control
system and
provided new lighting in the East Classification Yard. Visitors to the
Belt marvel at how clean and orderly the property is. A total of $40
million has been spent on these improvements; it is money spent on
investing in the future, and certainly plays a major role in accident
prevention.
The labor led BRC Safety Committee
continues to drive the safety process at the Belt. This Committee is
the main communication conduit between labor and management. Craft
members work with their peers on a daily basis holding safety meetings
or making sure unsafe conditions are corrected. Additionally, once
every four months the Labor Management Safety Communications Committee
(LMSCC) meet. The LMSCC is made up of union leadership, management
and the FRA. This committee has been most successful in enhancing communications
between all groups represented on the Committee.
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WHAT IS OPERATION LIFESAVER?
Operation Lifesaver is a proactive public education program first established in 1972 to end collisions, deaths and injuries at highway-rail grade crossings and on railroad rights-of-way. Operation Lifesaver programs are supported by a wide variety of partners, including federal, state, and local government agencies, highway safety organizations, law enforcement, the nation’s railroads and their suppliers.
HOW DOES OPERATION LIFESAVER WORK?
Operation Lifesaver’s trained and certified speakers provides free safety presentations for people of all professions and age groups to help them make safe decisions around tracks and trains. Mike Romano, Director of Police and Risk Management for the Belt Railway Co. of Chicago has established an Operation Lifesaver team consisting of presenters Sam Canerday, Joe Chacon and Steve Hoye. They utilize educational brochures, videos, and coloring books for children to convey Operation Lifesaver’s message of safety and to reduce risk taking behavior.
HOW CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OPERATION LIFESAVER AND RAIL SAFETY?
Visit www.oli.org to find out more about rail safety for motorists and pedestrians.
Free presentations are available for anyone who lives or travels near BRC train tracks: students, professional drivers, motorists, emergency responders and community leaders. To schedule a free presentation contact Director of Police and Risk Management Mike Romano or Sam Canerday at scanerday@beltrailway.com or by calling 312-622-1086.
OPERATION LIFESAVER DRIVING TIPS:
-
ALWAYS EXPECT A TRAIN! Freight trains do not follow set schedules. Passenger
train schedules change.
-
Never drive around lowered gates – it’s illegal and deadly. If you suspect a signal is
malfunctioning, look for an emergency notification number posted on or near the
crossing signal, or notify your local law enforcement agency.
-
Never race a train to the crossing – even if you tie, you lose!
-
Do not get trapped on the tracks. Only proceed through a highway rail
grade crossing if you are sure you can completely clear the crossing without stopping. Remember, the train is three feet wider than the tracks on both sides. A safe stopping distance from the tracks is 15 feet.
-
If your vehicle stalls on a crossing, immediately get everyone out and far away from the
tracks. Call your local law enforcement agency for assistance.
-
Do not be fooled by the optical illusion – the train you see may be closer and faster
moving than it appears to be. If you see a train approaching, wait for it to go by before
you proceed across the tracks.
-
At a multiple track crossing waiting for a train to pass, watch out for a second train on
the other tracks, approaching in either direction.
-
Be aware that trains cannot stop quickly. Even if the locomotive engineer sees you, a freight train moving at 55 miles per hour can take a mile or more to stop once the
emergency brakes are applied. That’s 18 football fields!
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Monthly Safety Updates:
The Monthly Updates on this
page are PDF files and need to be viewed with Adobe Reader. If you
do not have Adobe Reader, please click below.
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