How to make Harrimans a habit - Harriman rail freight operations safety awards - Short LInes & Regional

Railway Age, Jan, 1998 by Don L. Hofsommer

Houston's Port Terminal Railroad Association is a standout performer in many ways. The performance it's proudest of winning 13 E. H. Harriman safety awards in 16 years, the most recent a Gold Harriman in the switching terminal category for its 1996 safety record.

PTRA, whose work force is approximately 400, has come a long way since its modest beginnings nearly eight decades ago. Formed in 1924 by 12 line-haul carriers serving the bustling Texas port city, PTRA had only one locomotive and handled 500 cars in its first year. Ownership still resides with major roads, down now to Burlington Northern and Santa Fe and Union Pacific. In 1997, PTRA handled nearly 500,000 cars with 45 daily engine starts and 24 locomotives.

PTRA operates on both sides of the busy Houston Ship Channel -- a compact industrial zone yielding no fewer than 155 customers. These customers take seriously PTRA's pledge to provide safe, efficient, and impartial gathering and distribution of rail shipments compatible with the needs of shippers and owners alike.

Houston's importance as a national and international port has grown over the years. Among American ports in recent years, Houston has ranked second in both foreign and total tonnage. Approximately 5,535 ships have called each year; volume has reached an average of 144 million tons. Petroleum and petroleum products led, but iron, steel, grain, and plastics were other important commodities moving through Houston.

PTRA provides the crucial rail/water interface at Houston. Demands on the company to address the varying and often conflicting needs of shippers, maritime interests, and owners are constant and intense. To meet those needs, PTRA his invested heavily in plant and motive power. Most of the main tracks and many sidings and yard tracks are 115-pound or 133-welded rail and the entire locomotive fleet is new (24 MPI 1500D switchers delivered in 1996). Moreover, says Master Mechanic George Taylor, the car department recently received three new forklifts, 12 all terrerain vehicles, several hydraulic jacks, and a wheel truck.

Investing in People

General Manager Jack Jenkins and his management team have chosen to make the greatest investment in people. Management stressses safety as a matter of course -- but with a twist. Jenkins has replaced the "big talk and no walk" management style with a policy of "management by demonstration." "It is not sufficient to tell a man what he did wrong," says Jenkins. "You must show him the right thing to do." Rules are crucial, but managers need to provide a sensible rationale for them -- "explain why we have the rule."

PTRA has a simple philosophy: "There is nothing a railroad operating officer does that is more important to the overall success of the enterprise than to establish and maintain a relationship with the employees that teaches, encourages, demands, and rewards safe working practices." Communication is the basis of this philosophy. Pre-shift briefings for mechanical, maintenance-of-way, and transportation employees include not only job assignments and a review of any new or special conditions on the railroad, but also a strong emphasis on the rules and work practices needed to work safely. Jenkins says, "Traditionally, the rulebook has been used to hit employees over the head. We want to change that." The previous practice of reading the 'rule of the day' has been replaced with a discussion of a PTRA "scenario." Each scenario describes a situation that occurs daily on PTRA. For example: Your job is working Air Products. With the main track switch open, your engine clears the main track while shoving back. Do you need permission to occupy the main track again?' Or: After stopping at a red signal at Bridge 5A, the dispatcher gives you permission to pass the red signal and operate the dual control switch by hand. Describe the procedure used. When may the switch be returned to power?"

PTRA is more concerned with whether the employees can recognize the situation and apply the rule than with their ability to recite the rule number, says Jenkins. Hundreds of scenarios have been written by employees themselves. Fifty-two scenarios are printed as a deck of cards and, during briefings, employees draw a card and discuss it. The discussion ends when everyone is clear on how the rules apply. In each deck is a "wild card," which, if pulled, will win that person a company-paid dinner for two. Every craft participates, and each has separate scenarios. This method of rules training has proven to be less tedious and more relevant to PTRA's work.

A non-threatening approach

Another benefit of the scenario card approach to rules training is that it permits a non-threatening, open discussion of how the rules apply. It avoids the "testing" and "fault-finding" environment of earlier methods. Employees and officers feel more comfortable about discussing the rules that apply to their railroad. The scenario approach is extremely effective when discussing rules with employees who don't have perfect command of the written word. Safety meetings and job briefings in the m/w department have become quite lively.