Safety
May 17, 2024
Brakeperson Corey White: I’m Living Proof It Can Happen to You
Rushing through his morning routine onboard a locomotive almost had life-threatening consequences for Corey White, brakeperson, Transportation, when it resulted in unplanned locomotive movement past a red signal and into the path of another train.
“We always think it’s not going to happen to us – and in those two seconds, it happened,” White said. “I was supposed to help my son put his Hot Wheels track together later that night, and I might not have made it back home.”
White is passionate about sharing his story with fellow railroaders to encourage others to take their time, ask questions, follow the rule book and be willing to learn.
Since January, more than 7,000 Transportation craft professionals like White have participated in Union Pacific’s Journey to World-Class Safety training. The class focuses on the railroad’s Go Home Safe choices and related critical Operating Rules, like 32.2.1, which addresses Securing Equipment, including locomotives.
“That next person might not be so lucky,” White said. “I owe it to myself and the people coming behind me at Union Pacific to help them not make that wrong decision.”