UP marks record first-quarter employee safety rate

Union Pacific Railroad achieved a record first-quarter 2015 safety performance with a reportable injury rate of 0.85, a mark that demonstrates the Class I's progress toward its ultimate goal of zero incidents, UP announced yesterday.

The railroad's safety culture development led to an injury rate improvement of 23 percent compared with first-quarter 2014, UP officials said in a press release.

A railroad's reportable injury rate is the total number of injuries that are reportable to the Federal Railroad Administration per 200,000 worker hours, which is the equivalent to 100 employees working a full year.

Efforts to reduce the reportable injury rate includes UP employees' participation in Courage to Care, a personal commitment to provide feedback to fellow employees to correct unsafe situations. The program also requires employees to accept feedback from coworkers to "ensure everyone goes home safe," UP officials said.

"Employees' commitment to looking out for one another coupled with company processes, training and resources are moving safety in the right direction," said Bob Grimaila, UP's vice president of safety, security and environment. "Still, we will not be satisfied until we achieve our goal of zero incidents."