Short Line Safety Institute appoints Cotton senior manager of safety operations

The Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) has named Sam Cotton senior manager of safety and operations. He succeeds Mike Long, who has accepted a position with the Federal Railroad Administration.

Cotton will manage the safety culture assessment program, which is a voluntary, onsite process that evaluates railroad safety. The five-to-10-day process is non-punitive and confidential. It includes an online survey of staff, discussions with management and observations of the railroads' daily practices.

Prior to his appointment, Cotton served the SLSI as a safety culture assessor since 2015, including as a team lead for the past two years. As one of the original safety culture assessors, he helped develop and test the protocols and processes that now are in place, SLSI officials said in a press release.

"Sam has been a go-to resource for our entire safety assessor team, conducting all aspects of the assessment process, providing feedback to improve the program, and speaking on behalf of the SLSI at national and regional meetings," said SLSI Executive Director Tom Murta. "His passion for the process, and the impact of a safety culture assessment on a railroad, is evident to all who have worked with him."

Cotton has more than 18 years of railroad safety operations experience, having spent 12 years working in law enforcement followed by a second career in railroading.

He's a former employee of OmniTRAX Inc., where he served in many operations roles, including conductor, engineer, trainmaster, superintendent of operations and general manager. In 2009, he was awarded the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association's Safety Person of the Year Award.