Short Line Safety Institute hires Risdon to manage program support

The Short Line Safety Institute has hired Ryan Risdon as manager of program support.

Risdon has more than 25 years of experience in railroad safety administration, compliance and emergency response management, SLSI officials said in a press release. In the newly created position, he will work on safety culture and hazardous materials training programs.

“[Risdon] brings significant and diverse experience in managing the challenging environment of railroading from both the employee and contractor perspectives. In addition, his more-than-15 years as a firefighter/EMT volunteer will provide meaningful insight into how we can best serve the training needs of emergency personnel who may be called to the scene of a railroad incident,” said SLSI Executive Director Tom Murta.

SLSI has conducted more than 128 safety culture assessments for freight and passenger railroads. More than 2,300 people from 476 railroads have taken the organization’s hazardous materials training course in the past five years, SLSI officials said.