March 1 Safety Reset: Shove Moves, Switches, and Spring Readiness

Sean Ireland

Good morning, team. It is March 1st, and I’ll be honest, I’m glad we can finally put February in the rearview mirror. The month was tough on everybody – weather, human factor incidents, injuries – it all added up. And I know a lot of you felt that on the ground, shift after shift. Now, I wanna start by saying this: there’s no magic reset button where safety gets “fixed” and we move on. That’s just not how this works. Safety is something we have to show up for every single day, in every job, with every decision. When we have a month like February, the temptation is to say, “Alright, that was rough, but it’s over.” Instead, I want us to look at it as a reminder of why we can’t let up. Not for one move, not for one switch, not for one step.

Sean Ireland

Now we’re moving into that early spring pattern – warmer days, cold nights, and that freeze–thaw roller coaster. You all know what that does to our railroad. We go from snow and ice to mud, soft roadbeds, and then we start to see gauge issues on customer tracks and in yards. Equipment doesn’t like rapid temperature swings, and our bodies don’t either. One minute you’ve got solid footing, next minute the ground is slick or spongy. So I really want you thinking ahead: how is this freeze–thaw going to affect the track I’m about to walk, the switch I’m about to operate, the equipment I’m about to ride or shove? If the answer is “I’m not sure,” that’s a red flag to slow down, reassess, and ask questions.

Sean Ireland

This is exactly where strong job safety briefings have to carry us. Not check-the-box briefings. I mean real, two-way conversations. Before we start a job, we should be talking through: What’s changed since yesterday? Where’s the snow and ice turning into mud? Where are we likely to see gapped switches from the thaw and freeze? Are we working in the dark, in a tight curve, near a crossing that’s packed with snow? And if something doesn’t sound right or doesn’t feel right, I expect you to speak up. That’s not being difficult; that’s being professional. I’d much rather hear a tough question in a briefing than get a call about an injury or a derailment that we could’ve prevented. So as we turn the page from February into March, use every job briefing as your chance to reset. Bring up the hazards you’re seeing. Challenge each other respectfully. Make sure everybody on that crew understands the plan, understands the risks, and feels comfortable saying, “Hold up, this isn’t safe.” That’s how we’re gonna move past a tough month and protect each other going forward.

Sean Ireland

I wanna spend some time on what our engagement teams saw at the end of February, because it tells us exactly where we need to focus. Our North and South engagement teams identified over 138 exceptions during testing in that last week alone. Let that sink in for a second. One hundred thirty-eight times where we did not meet the standard. A big chunk of those were around riding and shoving equipment, securing equipment, and operating switches and derails. On top of that, we still owe follow-up with 55 people who had critical rule exceptions. That follow-up matters. It’s not about punishment; it’s about coaching, clarifying expectations, and making sure the behavior changes going forward. But it also tells us we still have a lot of work to do in these key risk areas.

Sean Ireland

So for this week, we’ve put a focused plan in place that runs from today at 1800 through next Friday at 1800. The spotlight is on our switching leads and RCO zones. We’re talking RCO zones, kicking cars, riding equipment, coupling and securement. Each zone will have a rep using downloads on shove moves so we can see exactly what’s happening and coach in real time. I need everyone crystal clear on a few non-negotiables. For RCO assignments, the person protecting that shove must be out on the point, not sitting in the cab of the locomotive. You cannot protect a shove from inside a truck or a taxi. If you’re not in position to see and control the move, you are not protecting it – period. Same thing with riding and mounting/dismounting equipment: use the proper footholds and handholds, face the equipment, and do not rush. A missed step on soft, muddy ballast or slick ground can put you on the ground fast.

Sean Ireland

On switches and derails, we’re seeing issues with frozen and gapped switches, especially as this freeze–thaw cycle ramps up. You may see little to no tension on that switch because the ground’s moving underneath it. Don’t assume it lined and locked correctly just because the handle moved. Check it visually, check the points, make sure it’s fully closed and the target matches the route. Same goes for derails – verify position every time. And keep your head on a swivel for walking conditions. As the snow and ice turn to mud, we get soft roadbed, slippery spots, and potential gauge problems, particularly on customer tracks. Take shorter steps, test your footing, don’t shortcut across questionable areas just to save a few seconds.

Sean Ireland

Now, our Exposure Reduction Discussions this week need to be laser-focused on these exact issues. Use the testing data. If your location had exceptions on shoves, or riding and mounting/dismounting, or securement, or switches – especially frozen switches – bring those up in your conversations. Talk through what actually happened and what “right” looks like. On the operational testing side, we’re requiring one shove banner test per shift. This is a shove banner, not a switch banner. Those tests should be done on shove moves in high-risk locations so we’re validating how we protect those moves where it matters most. Assistant Superintendents, I need you leaning into this with your Yardmasters. Engage them. Yardmasters set the tone in the yard – how jobs are lined up, how much time crews feel they have, how disciplined we are with briefings and protection. And I also want to recognize our Regional Zone Safety leaders from last week – New England: Nate Boyd; Hudson Zone: Bobby King; Northern Zone: James Lipscomb; Central East: Bryan Herrington; Central West: Michael Crocker; Southern Zone: Lawerance Craft. Use those leaders. Pull them into discussions, leverage their perspective. If we align our testing, our coaching, and our daily conversations around these priorities, we’re gonna see those 138 exceptions come down.

Sean Ireland

Let’s shift gears a bit and talk cost and service, because they’re tied directly to how safely and efficiently we run. As the weather starts to improve, our cost focus turns back toward ITD and LOR work events. We need to be disciplined about how we plan and execute that work so we’re not creating unnecessary delays or rework. At the same time, we’re re-energizing our focus on overtime. I know the last few weeks, with weather and disruptions, a lot of you have been putting in long hours. I appreciate that. But as conditions stabilize, we have to get back to managing overtime tightly – matching crews and hours to the actual work, not just doing things the way we did during the storm events. That means good planning, good communication, and being willing to adjust when the plan changes.

Sean Ireland

On the service side, we’ve seen our CSD recovery outperformance slip across the region. Weather and crew availability have been big factors, no doubt about it. When you’re digging out yards, dealing with frozen switches, and trying to move trains with short crews, it’s hard to hit every service target. But as the weather improves and crew entitlements come down, we don’t have that same excuse. We need to start recovering, getting back to that 95% day goal. That’s not just a number for a report – that’s our customers’ freight showing up when we told them it would. Every safe, efficient move you make in the yard or on the main line feeds into that 95%. The same discipline that prevents injuries and rule violations is the discipline that drives good service.

Sean Ireland

Looking ahead this week, I wanna highlight a key regional event: our Dinner and Development session on Wednesday at 17 hundred. If you can attend, please do. We’re gonna review RTOP.

Sean Ireland

As we wrap up today, I want to bring it all together. We had a rough February. We’re heading into a tricky weather period with freeze–thaw, mud, and changing conditions. We’ve got clear safety priorities around shoves, riding and mounting/dismounting, securement, switches and derails, and walking conditions. We’re sharpening our focus on cost – ITD, LOR, and overtime – and we’re pushing to get our CSD recovery back to that 95% day goal as the railroad stabilizes. Underneath all of that is one shared objective: consistent, compliant, and safe operations across the region. Not just on a good day, not just when the weather is perfect, but every day. I need each of you to own your part of that. Use your job briefings. Speak up when something doesn’t look right. Take the time to do the move safely and by the rules, every time. We’ll keep talking about this in future sessions, and we’ll keep listening to your feedback from the field. In the meantime, stay safe, watch out for each other, and let’s make March a month we can all be proud of. Thanks, everyone.