Brothers and Sisters,
 
The following is a safety message from the Engineering Services Health & Safety Policy Committee. The Committee is mandated under Part II of the Canada Labour Code and is comprised of both Union and management members.
 
Following the company's arbitrary decision to send out an earlier message without seeking the input of all committee members, the message had to be cancelled. We (the TCRCMWED) were adamant that management should not put out anymore messages on behalf of the committee without the full co operation of both  the Union and management members. After all, when dealing with safety, all parties should be involved and committed.
 
This is now the message that both parties wish to convey and that both parties endorse and support. After all, Safety is everybody's business... its not simply about statistics...it is about lives.
 
Stay safe, stay strong, stay united,
 
Bill Brehl
President, TCRCMWED
 
" Your safety is not expensive... it is priceless!!"
 
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To All Engineering Services Employees,
 
At the Engineering Policy Committee meeting on June 8th in Montreal, we were reviewing the Safety Statistics year to date on Personal injuries and Train accidents.
 
We had to note that there has been no marked improvement in the number of personal injuries year over year. Even though our 'slip/trip' injuries have decreased by 23%, the number of 'struck by/ struck against' injuries has increased by 60%. This shows that our 'slip/trip' & 'strain/sprain' programs are working and encourages us to continue, however it also points out that we are failing in other areas.
 
Every individual statistic is much more than simply that.  It is an incident where a person was hurt. And we must never forget that almost everytime any of us are hurt, there was the potential that we could have been killed, as can be seen from the following examples:
 
•    Safety Flash – March 29 – Employee Injured by falling rail – rail was knocked off the truck’s rail rack and struck an employee standing nearby. 
•    Safety Flash – April 10 – employee inadvertently struck by an anchor applicator contacting him between a second anchor applicator. 
•    Safety Flash – June 1 – employee struck by a suspended timber stringer when the load shifted.
 We have also seen people hurt when:  
•    An employee is struck by a tool during spiking or while positioning angle bars
•    spikes and anchors are sent flying after being struck
•    material that was jammed in a piece of equipment was suddenly released and contacted an employee.

 Using the wrong tool for the job and/or applying improper work processes/standards have been the primary causes of these accidents. These are all painful and serious injuries that could have and should have, been prevented. There is no job on this railway that is so important that we cannot take the time to do it safely.  All of us know the right way to do our jobs, the safe way to do our jobs. We all know when we are doing something wrong and we also know when someone else is. And we know the consequences that can happen when we take shortcuts. But for whatever reason, we take risks. This has to stop. We must develop a culture of safety if we ever hope to eliminate preventable injuries. A culture of safety is one in which we think, act and live safely. In everything that we do, we must follow the safest course. More than just on a personal level, we have to make sure that we watch over our colleagues, as well.

Whenever we see someone...anyone...working in an unsafe manner, we must take the time to show them in a positive manner, a better way... a safer way to work. And we have to be prepared to accept corrections in the same manner. All of us have got to stop seeing this kind of advice as criticism and start seeing it for what it really is, the opportunity to prevent you from being hurt. We must do this, not only for ourselves, but for the sake of all of our friends and families. We have to approach safety and the prevention of accidents with focus, with purpose and as if our lives depend upon it. Because, as you know... they often do. 

   
ES Policy Committee members
“ Work Smart, Stay Safe.”