Safety is our number-one priority at GWI
every day.
Since our crews are on and off equipment much more frequently in
short line railroading and industrial switching, we're proud that
our safety record surpasses the Class I railroads.
For 2009, 52 of GWI's 62 railroads were injury free, and GWI
achieved an overall injury frequency rate of 0.74 per 200,000 man
hours. This is nearly five times better than the short line peer
group average, better than any Class I railroad and more than twice
as good as the Class I railroad average.
The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association
(ASLRRA) recognized 40 GWI railroads with the
Jake Award With Distinction for 2009, which
is presented to member railroads who complete the year with perfect
safety records.
Click here to see the winners. Among them, GWI's Buffalo
& Pittsburgh Railroad received two ASLRRA President's
Awards, for most hours of injury-free operation and for best safety
rate in the 250,000+ man-hours category, GWI's Willamette &
Pacific Railroad won the President's Award for best
safety rate in the 150,000-250,000 man-hours category, and
GWI's Illinois & Midland Railroad won the President's
Award for best safety rate in the 50,000-150,000 man-hours
category.
Safety is never "fixed," and we are committed to continuous
improvement. Our goal is for every one of our operating regions to
be injury-free, every day. In 2008, four of GWI's nine operating
regions achieved this goal.
Public
Education
To educate the public about grade-crossing safety, GWI has
dramatically expanded its participation in Operation Lifesaver, a national,
nonprofit education and awareness program dedicated to ending
tragic collisions, fatalities and injuries at highway-rail grade
crossings and on railroad rights of way. In 2009, GWI
employees made 285 Operation Lifesaver presentations to more than
15,500 schoolchildren, school bus drivers and other individuals to
discuss the importance of rail-crossing safety.
Here's what you can do
to stay safe around trains...
Never tresspass on any railroad property or right of
way!
Doing so is illegal and risks serious injury or
death.
Cross only at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings!
Look for a train moving from either direction -- and then
look for a second train from either
direction.
Always expect a train!
Trains do not have set schedules and can approach from
either direction at any time of day or night.
Trains do not take holidays.
Don't stand next to tracks!
Trains can overhang the tracks by three feet on either
side, and straps and tiedowns can extend even
further.
Never try to beat a train!
Because of their size, you cannot judge a train's speed or
distance. Trains cannot make sudden stops. Remember that a
locomotive weighs 200 tons. An automobile being hit by a train is
equivalent to a soda can being hit by an automobile.