Shove Moves, Heat Risks, and No Room for Complacency

Sean Ireland

Welcome to the show. We have only 11 days left in April, and that matters more than it sounds. As the weather improves and we move toward summer operations, our exposure is changing -- not shrinking. Warmer days, vacation schedules, a little more daylight... all of that can create a FALSE sense that work will somehow be safer and more efficient on its own. It will not. That only happens with the right leadership and daily engagement.

Sean Ireland

Safety was challenging again this past week. We had four human-factor incidents, and two of those were FRA reportable. One came from poor train handling and not allowing air to release properly, and that led to a mainline derailment in Baltimore. Read that again in your head if you need to -- poor train handling, air not released properly, mainline derailment. That's not abstract. That's process discipline, or the lack of it, showing up in the field.

Sean Ireland

The other three incidents involved shove moves, including a reportable event in Richmond, Virginia. Two of those occurred during RCO operations. And on top of that, we experienced a mainline derailment on Conrail due to track conditions. In total, we are at six FRA-reportable train accidents just 19 days into Q2, compared with seven for the entire first quarter. That's the number I want everybody carrying with them this week. Six in 19 days. Seven in all of Q1. That's not a trend we can explain away.

Sean Ireland

We also had two injuries last week, and one was reportable for lost time. The first was in Philadelphia due to dehydration while working in the heat. The team member had only a protein shake at the start of the shift, no water, and became dizzy halfway through a hot day. That's a plain reminder that preparing to work in the elements starts at home and has to continue through the day. Hydration is not something you address after you're already behind. By then, the body has usually voted and the answer is no.

Sean Ireland

The second injury involved a team member feeling a pop in their back while bending over to unlock a derail. That incident is still under investigation, so I'm not gonna get ahead of the facts. But I will say this: whether the exposure is heat, body position, train handling, or shove protection, the theme is the same. Readiness is not accidental. It starts before the shift, it shows up in the briefing, and it has to stay with us all day long.

Sean Ireland

This time of year can trick people. Q1 has its own challenges -- cold weather, winter conditions, different operational friction. Then the weather starts to break and it can feel like things should naturally get easier. I mean, we'd all like that to be true. The railroad, unfortunately, does not care what month it is. It responds to habits, standards, and leadership.

Sean Ireland

So the expectation this week is simple and direct: daily engagement, strong leadership, and no complacency. We need leaders asking questions, leaders in the field, leaders listening for weak signals before they become incidents. We have to self-motivate and drive our safety efforts, especially now, when improved weather can make people let their guard down just enough to get hurt or put the network at risk. That's the work in front of us.

Sean Ireland

Our operational focus this week is shove moves. That's where we're going to put our attention, and it needs to be deliberate. One MTO from each zone will represent their area, and we will track Witronix alerts related to train movements where air is used improperly. We'll review and discuss what we find during Wednesday's Regional Safety Call. Not to check a box -- to understand behavior and correct it.

Sean Ireland

The challenge to the team from now through next Friday at 1800 is specific: one shove banner and one ERD on a shove move. Utilize drones where we can on shove moves. Keep the job safety briefings sharp. Engage our people. Ask questions around shove moves, and don't forget hydration while you're doing it. Exposure reduction discussions this week are focused on shoves, and operational testing needs to reflect that. One banner test per shift is to be performed on shove moves. That's the standard.

Sean Ireland

Assistant superintendents, there is a clear expectation as well: three infield coaching and validations between 1800 and 0600 per month. And critical rule follow-up testing remains a major focus. We currently have over 48 people across the region who have had critical rule test exceptions this year that require follow-up. This is an important point, so I want to slow down for it. It's not about the exception itself -- it's about the behavior. If we do not follow up, how do we know whether anything has changed? We don't. And hoping is not a control.

Sean Ireland

Now, when we get safety right, you can see it downstream in service and cost. Last week, our CSD score improved to 95.2 percent as a region, and that met our 95 percent goal. That's encouraging. Good work. But one good week is not the finish line. We need to repeat that performance week over week if we're going to improve the year-to-date score, which currently sits at 90.6 percent.

Sean Ireland

And if you're thinking, well, 95.2 is good, why not just celebrate it and move on -- here's why. We still need to review missed car connections and make sure we are making them and accelerating trip plans. As the network continues to improve, we have to move traffic on the right trains, or better yet, advance traffic with a PF on a train that has capacity. Consecutive missed switches remain a focus. We cannot miss service to our customers two days in a row. We are in business because of our customers. We are in the customer service industry. That's not a slogan. That's the operating truth.

Sean Ireland

From a cost perspective, we've done well. But safety is good business -- and I mean that literally. Disruptions create congestion. Congestion leads to extra crew starts, overtime, and the use of additional resources, not to mention the manpower required to repair equipment and track structure. So when we say safety impacts service, and safety is good business, that's not theory. That's exactly how the railroad behaves.

Sean Ireland

A few important reminders before I let you go. Regional Engagement is Wednesday, and we'll also have the Regional Safety Call that day. Ethics training is due May 1st, and everyone is required to complete it. The Q1 Company Business Update is Thursday, April 23rd at 15 hundred. And I do want to recognize the Regional Zone Safety leaders for last week: New England, Nate Boyd. Hudson Zone, Michael Skapetis. Northern Zone, Nick Morrison. Central East, Shane Riesett. Central West, Chip Buckley. Southern Zone, Stuart Newsome.

Sean Ireland

This week isn't really about slogans or posters or one good call on a Wednesday. It's about follow-through. What we brief, what we test, what we coach, what we correct, and what we repeat. The weather's getting better. That does not mean the work gets easier. It means leadership has to get sharper. Thanks, everybody.