December Safety Drive and Holiday Operations

Sean Ireland

Good morning, everyone. One week into December already—kinda feels like we were just talking about getting ready for the fall, right? But here we are, winter weather fully here and, unfortunately, not off to the safest start. We had two human factor train accidents just last week. I know that’s not the news anyone wants, but it’s gotta stay front and center for us.

Sean Ireland

Now, I wanna pause here, because—I mean, this time of year, the distractions just pile up: holidays, weather, rushing to finish end-of-year stuff. It’s real easy to get caught up, but now more than ever, we need to slow down and keep our heads in the game. For our teams, just meeting the bare minimum is not gonna cut it. The next twenty-four days, I’m asking—no, I’m expecting—each of us to step up. Safety is always the most important thing we lead with every single day, and we can’t let competing priorities distract us, even when the pressure cranks up.

Sean Ireland

Job safety briefings and exposure reduction talks actually matter, especially in winter. Take the time, check your footing, ask the awkward safety question in the briefing—because it pays off.

Sean Ireland

And, just as a heads up—falls, whether it’s from height or just slipping on ice, are a big focus this week. We know from all the data—same as last year, honestly—that these small slip-ups can have big consequences, especially right now when everything’s wet or frozen over half the time. Anyway, let’s keep those winter weather briefings sharp and not get ahead of ourselves in the process. One missed step—that’s all it takes.

Sean Ireland

Now, shifting gears a little—Wednesday, December tenth, we've got our cross-functional ERD Day coming up. That’s where we get all departments together and really dig into exposures at every level. If you haven’t been a part of one before, basically, we’re re-engaging our people on the things that can get us hurt, and we’ll have team members in every zone, doing downloads and collecting data right out in the field. We’ll talk about what we found during the 1700 Regional Safety Call that same day—so, if you’re collecting or reporting, make sure you’re dialed in.

Sean Ireland

Operational testing is gonna keep getting more attention, too. We’ve got a plan for one shove test and one switch tag test per shift, every day. I wanna call out the Selkirk Team here—your weekly requirements will line up with the Hump yard needs, and you’ll be getting the specifics from Kevin Radford in a separate email, but just know that extra scrutiny’s headed your way because we want to get this absolutely right.

Sean Ireland

Here’s something that needs fixing: Since November 1st, we’ve had twenty-eight critical rule test failures we haven’t followed up on yet. That’s, uh, honestly, a little higher than I’d like—so, if you’re a manager listening, this is your reminder: follow-up conversations are not optional. That ties right back to building a real safety culture, like we talked about in previous episodes—face-to-face coaching, accountability, and showing guys the right way, not just sending an email.

Sean Ireland

And it’s not all just policy—there are some real leaders in the region making a difference. I mean, folks like Jonathon Pope up in Buffalo, driving our blended approach with safety briefings, ERDs, and all this operational testing. It’s a good reminder that every one of us, in every zone—heck, even in different weather conditions—can help move the dial.

Sean Ireland

Oh, almost forgot—on the handbrake thing: We've seen an uptick in handbrake stops across the region. Make sure our teams know to go a step further—check two more cars after finding a handbrake. That little step can seriously pay off in fewer mainline stops and way less exposure.

Sean Ireland

Now, moving into costs and service—it’s that time of year where we start seeing where every hour and every dollar really count. The team’s reviewing all yard jobs. If we spot overtime that’s, well, not productive, we’re gonna adjust. Especially as we approach December twentieth, with holiday slowdowns coming, there might be some yard or local reductions to keep us efficient—not just this month, but as we roll toward the new year.

Sean Ireland

We’re also taking a closer look at terminal tracks—basically, if a track isn’t being utilized, there’s no need to be maintaining it for the sake of it. Shutting underused tracks down now could avoid unnecessary maintenance bills in 2026. It's not always glamorous work, but these are exactly the kind of efficiency moves that help us stay competitive and smart about our spending.

Sean Ireland

And, of course, we’re smack in the middle of PEAK UPS season. These UPS trains? They get priority over everything else right now. Every single one needs to run on time—that’s non-negotiable. Our customers count on reliability especially during the holidays and, you know, missing switches… it can’t happen, especially not twice in a row on planned service days. Customer trust is hard to win and easy to lose, as I've said before.

Sean Ireland

So, to wrap us up: this week, stay sharp on safety, don’t back off on the testing, and keep pushing on costs and service. We’ve covered a lot—from winter safety habits to key testing and big efficiencies—but it all comes back to the same thing: everyone on the team stepping up so the region wins. Appreciate you all, stay safe, and let’s keep moving forward—talk to you all next week!