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Last week, 13 employees in BNSF Railway Co.’s California Roadway Equipment Group marked 11-straight years without a reportable injury.

BNSF officials attribute the achievement to communication: The workers conduct safety briefings before and during a job to discuss potential hazards, then talk about what worked well and what could be improved afterwards.

“We take apart machines and equipment, and then put it all back together for everyone to use, so there are a lot of opportunities for injury through pinch points, tripping or dropping tools and equipment,” said Frank Lerda, BNSF safety representative and traveling mechanic, in a prepared statement. “Also, because our group travels about 90 percent of the time, we have to be cautious of vehicle incidents.”