Safety process to draw
the best from Conrail and NS
Working where safety is first
In January 1998, Bill Barringer was among the first Conrail employees to be offered a position with NS. After 19 years of experience in Conrail's Safety department, he was employed to begin the important work of integrating the two companies' safety programs.
| "NS truly lives and breathes safety. The commitment is there at all levels." Bill Barringer, Safety department |
"I've served as a resource to help NS determine how to integrate the two companies' safety programs," Barringer says. "I've been able to provide continuity and institutional knowledge."
During 1998, NS' Safety department developed 17 training modules to use in connection with safety integration. They cover safety audits, accident investigations, and regulatory reporting.
NS' intent is to draw the best practices from both companies and maintain the industry's premier safety program. Barringer says NS' dedication to safety sets it apart from other railroads. "NS truly lives and breathes safety. The commitment is there at all levels."
 Bill Barringer NS Director, Safety department, Roanoke, Va., 24 years' railroad service |
He goes on to say, "It's a safety officer's dream come true to work where safety is such a priority. Many of my peers at other companies tell me how they have to 'sell' safety ideas. But there's none of that at NS."
Barringer calls the Conrail transaction "one of the greatest things to happen in the rail industry in my lifetime." NS, he says, has carefully planned for every aspect of the transaction.
"This transaction will leave a lasting impact on the transportation industry," Barringer says.
"NS is a company that knows where it wants to go, how to get there, and when it wants to get there," he continues. "We're going to do our best to show it can be done."
Training - the backbone of safety
After 33 years in the day-to-day business of railroad operations at NS, Eugene Green took a position late in 1998 in the Safety department.
His new post makes him responsible for system-wide safety training, including the three Conrail divisions - Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and Dearborn - that NS will begin operating June 1, 1999.
 Eugene Green NS Director- Operations Training, Safety department, Roanoke, Va., 33 years' service |
"We've already conducted seminars on all three divisions, and we're in the process of training in the way we conduct safety audits and accident investigations," he says.
Even more training in NS safety methods will occur after Day One, when those who work under labor agreements become NS employees.
"After Day One, my job will be intense," Green says. "We'll be working to train people to be even safer and more efficient."
Green feels confident that NS' effort to operate a portion of Conrail's routes and assets was a wise business decision.
"There was no other way to go," he says. "NS' goal has always been to grow our business, and this transaction is consistent with that.
"It gives us access to the Northeast that we haven't had before and enables us to offer competitive service in those markets."
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A unit train hauls grain at Kings Mountain, Ky. NS has a coordinated unit grain train operation that manages the movement of some 75 trains daily. Unit trains average at least one more cycle (turnaround) per month than single-car shipments. |