Page 3 - April 2022 Track N Times

FEATURE STORY

Safety Is Everything!

By: Sam Madsen, Manager Rail Grinding

At Loram, the safety and health of all our employees is of pri-
mary importance. Safety is defined as “The condition of being protected
from or unlikely to cause danger, risk, or injury.” Here at Loram, we have
written new rules, created new procedures, and even created new
policies to help keep us safe.

To help enforce compliance, we have set consequences for
those who violate the rule in an effort to change the unsafe behavior,
due to the fact behavior is influenced by how we address the behav-
iors the employee has exhibited. The toughest part is ensuring every
individual complies with the rules, procedures, and policies we have
put into place. The level of compliance we are willing to accept is the
level of compliance we will receive.
Every individual is the key to making Loram’s
safety program a success. The question we need to ask
ourselves is…How do we go about making an individ-
ual safety conscious? Keeping in mind, not all conse-
quences are treated equal. We teach, coach, and
demonstrate what the proper procedures are for
completing tasks. We even show videos and tell real
life stories about what the possible outcomes are if
individuals fail to follow safe work practices. The pos-
sible results range from a corrective action document
being placed in the personnel file to the individuals of
the crew possibly losing a life or a limb. Loram strives
to ensure all of our employees go home in the same
condition as they came to work that day.

Therefore, when we have witnessed an individ-
ual is still at risk of working unsafe, a determination
needs to be made if we continue with further training
or is a separation from the company in the employee’s
and Loram’s best interest. While this part of the job
may be unpleasant for the Leadership Team, it is even
more unpleasant to have to make a call or knock on a
families’ front door to inform them their loved one has
suffered a life changing injury or even worse they will
never be coming home.

Page 1 APRIL 2022