UP employees log safety improvements

Union Pacific Railroad employees achieved a 0.81 reportable injury rate for second-quarter 2015, a 19 percent improvement over the same period a year ago, the Class I announced yesterday.

The year-to-date reportable injury rate was 0.82 compared with 1.06 for the same 2014 period, according to a UP press release.

A reportable injury rate is the total number of injuries reported to the Federal Railroad Administration per 200,000 employee hours, which is equivalent to 100 employees working a full year.

UP officials cited the Courage to Care program among the reasons for the improvement. The program involves employees making a personal commitment to provide feedback to fellow employees that helps mitigate unsafe situations, and to accept feedback from co-workers.

In addition, thousands of employees participated in a "Safety Stand Down" in April, stopping work to assess risk and areas in need of safety improvement.