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Workers at Burlington Northern Santa Fe's Argentine, Kan., locomotive maintenance facility recently marked nine straight years without experiencing a reportable injury.


Working third shift at the terminal's fueling facilities, the employees are responsible for inspecting and servicing main-line and switch-yard locomotives.


During some shifts, workers service as many as 65 units, and are allotted only 25 minutes to service a freight locomotive and 12 minutes to service an Amtrak locomotive.


"These employees are often asked to perform their job tasks under some of the most unfavorable weather conditions you can imagine," said facility supervisor Ken Allmon in a prepared statement, adding that he conducts daily safety briefings and stays in constant communication with workers — sometimes 20 times a night by walkie-talkie.


Employees also look out for one another, and brief crew members from other locations who are working at the Argentine facility about potential safety hazards.