Page 3 - July 2022 Track N Times

FEATURE STORY

The Easy Way Instead of the Right Way

By Nicholas Karjalahti, Manager Rail Grinding

When did it become okay at Loram to NOT follow a rule or a standard practice?
When did it become okay to watch another individual do something the wrong way and not intervene?

Did it become OK after you did it one time and no one said anything to correct you? When you sit back and think
about something as simple as wearing a seat belt, what length of driving or speed makes it okay to go without the
seatbelt? An accident at 30-55MPH can be lethal, is that the threshold? I would imagine if 30 MPH can be lethal
than 20 MPH is still severe.

So, when did it become OK at Loram to NOT follow a rule or SOP? Managers, Assistant Managers, Superinten-
dents, to General Laborers, is there a level you get to where you are required to say something? Suddenly you get
to OP1 and your job title changes and says you now must enforce the rules? NO. You may have heard Ralph Spic-
er at new hire orientation, on the machine, or at safety meetings say, “if you see something say something.” He
does not say if you are a superintendent and you see something say something, there is no qualifier of position.

In previous Track N’ Time articles Marc Hackett wrote about ‘What is My Trigger’, where he said, “When it
comes to working safely, what’s my trigger?” Essentially everyone has different experience levels and that defines
when do they pull the trigger and stop the line. When do they SEE too much and finally SAY whoa let’s take a mi-
nute to discuss? Scott Diercks talked about, It Is OK to Not Be OK, where when you see someone who seems
out of their regular attitude, ask them if they are okay. If you see something say something. Sam Madsen wrote in
April, safety is everything, “Every individual is the key to making Loram’s safety program a success.” Again, going
back to if you see something say something. Every Loram employee is encouraged daily to speak up if you see an
unsafe condition, even if you are wrong. Let’s dive into examples.

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Page 1 JULY 2022