When Randy Terrell learned he would receive Union Pacific’s highest safety honor, he didn’t think of himself.
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“It’s an honor and a privilege,” Terrell said. “But I just want everybody to understand, I accept this on behalf of our entire Engineering team because safety is a team effort.”
That kind of selfless mindset has defined Terrell’s career.
As a Tucson, Arizona, based backhoe operator and longtime Total Safety Culture (TSC) facilitator, he’s spent more than a decade walking the walk.
From coaching new hires to building trust across teams, Terrell has worked to embed safety into the DNA of every decision – not as a checklist, but as a shared belief.
“Priorities change day to day, hour to hour,” Terrell said. “Values do not.”
For his leadership, consistency and impact, Randy Terrell has been named the 2024 recipient of Union Pacific’s J.C. Kenefick Safety Award.
The award, which honors craft professionals who demonstrate outstanding safety performance, was one of nine awards presented at Union Pacific’s inaugural CEO Excellence Awards.
With Terrell’s help, the Southwest team has cut its Frequency Severity Index by 83% since 2019. The team has also logged multiple long-term injury-free records.
“It’s taken years to build this,” Terrell said. “We had to earn trust from each other. You don’t get buy-in unless people believe it’s real.”
For Terrell, the key to sustaining safety isn’t just systems, it’s people. He helped establish and grow a network of embedded safety leaders across the Southwest. Now, it’s become the foundation for succession planning with newer leaders like Len Broughton III and Jeremy Orozco carrying the torch.
“When I first hired on, I looked at Randy and said, ‘That’s the guy,’” said Orozco, assistant foreperson-Track Gang. “He’s the safe one, the smart one, the one I wanted to follow.”
The team is a living example of peer-led safety done right and proof that the culture Terrell helped build will keep moving forward.
“Randy practices what he preaches,” said Broughton, track supervisor and fellow safety team leader. “He’s always there for us any time, day or night. He makes us believe in the process because he truly believes in it himself.”
One of Terrell’s most impactful contributions has been helping develop the region’s DOIT process, which stands for Define, Observe, Intervene and Test. The goal is to turn field observations into actionable safety improvements.
In the past two years, his team has completed more than two dozen DOIT submissions, from installing lighting to improving equipment procedures.
“He truly lives and breathes safety,” said Omar Monge, director-Track Maintenance. “He holds himself accountable, and that spreads to everyone around him. I’m proud to have him on my team.”
As Terrell approaches retirement, he keeps his focus where it’s always been: one task, one day, one employee at a time.
J.C. Kenefick Safety Award Recipient: Randy Terrell
Randy Terrell has been recognized with the railroad’s highest individual safety honor, the J.C. Kenefick Safety Award.
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