Union Pacific Railroad’s nearly 600-member Southwest Maintenance of Way team recently reached one year injury free.
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Propelled by the collective safety mindset of employees across California, Nevada and Arizona, the accomplishment illustrates the team’s dedication to vigilance while performing critical work involving the use of heavy-duty equipment to maintain, inspect and strengthen rail infrastructure.
“The secret to success is relationships,” said Jeremy Ritch, general director-Maintenance of Way. “Our team truly cares and looks out for one another.”
Smaller teams on the territory have impressive multiyear achievements of their own. In 2023, Sparks, Nevada, and Tucson, Arizona, employees were lauded for working injury free since September 2020 and November 2019, respectively.
“Seeing an entire regional Engineering team hit the one-year mark is a powerful example of what’s possible on our journey to world-class safety,” said Rod Doerr, vice president and chief safety officer.
Last year, the team helped keep operations running smoothly across the territory as it faced back-to-back extreme weather systems, including Hurricane Hilary, atmospheric rivers, record snowfall and an intense series of monsoon rains.
“The team is truly world class,” Doerr said. “With the weather events and the size of the work gangs and territory, seeing everyone going home safe each day is exceptional.”
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