The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) represents more than 50 freight and passenger railway companies. — Photo courtesy Railway Association of Cana
The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) represents more than 50 freight and passenger railway companies. — Photo courtesy Railway Association of Canada
The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) recently announced the winners of its annual Safety Awards, which recognize RAC member-companies’ initiatives that help to ensure our country’s rail network remains among the safest in the world. Four members – CP, VIA Rail, Cando Rail Services and Genesee & Wyoming – received awards for their outstanding safety leadership in 2018.
“First and foremost, congratulations to the recipients of the 2018 RAC Safety Awards,” said RAC President and CEO Marc Brazeau. “The programs, technologies and strategies recognized today are helping to advance rail safety in Canada. It’s important to note that so many of the initiatives emphasize safety culture which, as the Railway Safety Act Review report notes, is a fundamental element an effective rail safety regime.”
“The winners of this year’s awards represent different segments of our country’s rail industry – Class 1s, shortlines and passenger carriers – which shows our collective commitment to continuous safety improvement.”
Winners will receive their awards at a ceremony hosted by RAC in November 2018.
The 2018 RAC Safety Award winners are:
Class 1 – Employee incident
CP for its Locomotive Engineer Training Simulation Program and the classroom version of its Simulation Training for Conductors initiative. Using these simulators, trainees experience operating a locomotive on CP routes across North America. The simulation system presents trainees with various real-life operating scenarios, which they must master before they enter the field, and scores them on their train-handling performance. The development of these initiatives has resulted in more efficient on-the-job training at CP.
Class 1 – Third-party incident
CP for its Predictive Wayside Detection – Bearings initiative. To mitigate safety risks associated with railcar roller bearing failures, railways use wayside detectors to collect data about the state (temperature, vibration) of bearings on passing trains. While these data-acquisition systems are common within the North American rail industry, CP is the first railway to combine the information and develop a predictive model. This state-of-the-art technology allows CP to identify deteriorating bearings three months prior to failure and proactively remove railcars from service. Since implementing the model, CP has reduced in-transit bearing failures by 96 per cent.
Non-Class 1 – Employee/Third-party incident
Cando Rail Services Ltd. for its Employee Safety Education Program, a full-day training session for all Cando employees including senior managers. The program emphasizes safety culture and includes modules about Safety Management Systems, hazard identification and more.
Genesee & Wyoming Canada Inc. for its Target Zero Training program aimed at strengthening organizational safety culture. This interactive, two-day training session is designed to prevent workplace accidents by helping employees become safety ambassadors and encouraging them to make safety part of every decision. Using practical exercises adapted to railway operations, the program also helps employees to better understand human behavior and address at-risk situations, while emphasizing the importance of effective communication.
Passenger – Employee incident
VIA Rail Canada for its Operational Safety Strategy. Based on three pillars – training, communication and monitoring – VIA Rail developed this strategy and integrated it into its SMS as part of its goal to enhance its safety culture.
The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) represents more than 50 freight and passenger railway companies that move more than 84 million passengers and $280 billion worth of goods in Canada each year. The RAC advocates on behalf of its members and associate members to ensure that the rail sector remains globally competitive, sustainable and, most importantly, safe. Learn more at www.railcan.ca. Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
