Railroad honors National Rail Safety Week with a renewed commitment to being the safest railroad in North America
OMAHA, Neb., Sept. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Union Pacific Railroad will observe National Rail Safety Week with a reminder that nothing is more important than safety. This means all employees returning home to their loved ones each day – and safeguarding the communities where we operate.
“Safety is the foundation of everything we do here at Union Pacific, and we are recommitting ourselves to being the best in the industry and to re-embedding our training and safety mindset into everything we do,” said Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena.
The goal of Rail Safety Week, which kicked off Monday, Sept. 18, is to raise awareness of rail safety education and remind communities to keep themselves safe near railroad tracks and crossings. Each year, more than 2,000 people are injured or killed at rail crossings or trespassing on railroad property, and every three hours in the United States, a person or vehicle is hit by a train.
At Union Pacific, we are dedicated to working safely and to helping educate the public about rail safety:
- Each year, Union Pacific employees volunteer their time to give more than 100 safety presentations to school children, truck drivers, businesses and others as part of UPCARES, a community-based program dedicated to spreading rail safety education.
- Union Pacific trains approximately 5,000 first responders annually on hazmat response in partnership with TRANSCAER, an outreach program supporting Transportation Community Awareness Emergency Response.
- In 2022, we provided more than 1.5 million hours of best-in-class training to our workforce, including craft professionals, the men and women who operate trains and work in railyards.
“This week is the perfect opportunity for Union Pacific employees to rededicate themselves to an incident and injury-free workplace as we march toward our goal of zero and for the public to re-focus their attention to stopping tragedies at or near the train tracks,” said Vena.
ABOUT UNION PACIFIC
Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) delivers the goods families and businesses use every day with safe, reliable and efficient service. Operating in 23 western states, the company connects its customers and communities to the global economy. Trains are the most environmentally responsible way to move freight, helping Union Pacific protect future generations. More information about Union Pacific is available at www.up.com.
SOURCE Union Pacific Railroad
