A press release from the Railway Association of Canada; November 27, 2018:
OTTAWA, Nov. 27, 2018 /CNW/ – The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) today presented awards for outstanding safety leadership in 2018 to four of its members – CP, VIA Rail, Cando Rail Services and Genesee & Wyoming – at a ceremony in Ottawa. These companies won RAC’s annual Safety Awards, which recognize members’ initiatives that help to ensure Canada’s railways remains among the safest in the world. Click here to read more about the 2018 RAC Safety Award winners’ initiatives to enhance rail safety in Canada.
“Congratulations to the recipients of the 2018 RAC Safety Awards,” said RAC President and CEO Marc Brazeau. “The initiatives introduced by our members in 2018 are helping to advance rail safety in Canada. The winners here today represent different segments of our country’s rail industry – Class 1s, shortlines and passenger carriers – which shows our collective commitment to continuous safety improvements.”
More than 100 people – including rail industry leaders, parliamentarians and more – attended the awards ceremony, at the RAC National office in Ottawa.
Canada’s railways are among the safest in North America and the statistics are proving that. Between 2007 and 2016, the safety record – the number of accidents relative to workload – among Canada’s freight railways improved by 37 per cent. Similarly, passenger railways maintained a rate of less than one accident per million travelers for the fifth consecutive year in 2016.
Quotes
Class 1 – Employee incident
CP for its Locomotive Engineer Training Simulation Program and the classroom version of its Simulation Training for Conductors initiative
“Developing People and Operating Safely are two of the five foundations by which CP does business,” said Dave Freeborn, CP’s Director of Technical Training. “By designing simulation that realistically recreates the conditions that our locomotive engineers and conductors will encounter in the field, we ultimately ensure that they can succeed once they’re put in control of an actual train. That success benefits the employees and the company, and makes the railroad operating environment safer for all Canadians.”
Class 1 – Third-party incident
CP for its Predictive Wayside Detection – Bearings initiative
“Customers depend on us to deliver their products safely and reliably,” said Kyle Mulligan, CP’s Chief Mechanical Officer. “Through improved analysis of data from existing technology, we were able to raise the bar on both measures. It’s an exciting time in the industry, and I look forward to seeing what we can do next to leverage technology to get continuously better at what we do.”
Non-Class 1 – Employee/Third-party incident
Cando Rail Services Ltd. for its Employee Safety Education Program
“We are very pleased to be recognized by RAC for our dedication to safety as a rail service provider. Our Employee Safety Education program was unique because of its tie-in to safety culture. Where most other traditional railway programs focused on specific safety training or procedures, ours was designed to help employees understand communication processes, safe work procedures and other safety initiatives and what they can do personally to improve safety performance.” – Steve Gallagher, Director of Corporate Safety, Cando Rail Services
Genesee & Wyoming Canada Inc. for its Target Zero Training program aimed at strengthening organizational safety culture
“Genesee & Wyoming Canada is proud to receive the 2018 Safety Excellence Award for its Target Zero Program. For us, security is more than an objective, it is a fundamental value. Thanks to a strong safety culture reinforced by the Target Zero program, we have the tools to enable us to prevent all types of rail incidents and ensure the safety of our employees & colleagues. By reaffirming our employees’ commitment to safety, we will make our workplace a place without injury.” – Louis Gravel, President, Genesee & Wyoming Canada
Passenger – Employee incident
VIA Rail Canada for its Operational Safety Strategy
“The safety and security of our people, our passengers and the public is more than a corporate priority. It is a personal commitment rooted in the core values of our people, in all aspects of our operation. Since 2015, through training, communication and monitoring, we have reduced the number of train incidents each year, from 2.4 incidents per million miles travelled in 2015 to 0.60 incidents per million miles travelled in 2017. We are proud and grateful to receive this recognition from the RAC. It encourages us to remain relentless in our commitment to prevention and continuous improvement.” – Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, President & CEO, VIA Rail Canada
About the Railway Association of Canada
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.
SOURCE RAILWAY ASSOCIATION OF CANADA