Railway Track & Structures - November 2008 - (Page 24)

How to train for m/w already think that the biggest and best NRC contractors have safety programs that rival those of any Class 1. But we want to make sure that every NRC contractor operates as safely and as efficiently as possible. “We have four main aspects of our safety program,” Baker said. “The first is the Roadway Worker Protection Training program that we offer in conjunction with CANAC. People can use it online or through CD ROM to get their folks RWP-trained for Part 214. “Second are the safety and training DVDs,” he noted. “We’ve already made four of those and numbers five and six are in production and should be released at the NRC conference in January. These 30 to 35 minute DVDs are scripted out to the word by our safety committee, led by John Zuspan of The Track Guy. “The DVDs are shot on location with contractors on transit and freight properties,” Baker pointed out. “They give a very realistic and practical look at safety. They’re shot and directed by people who have been doing this out in the field for many years. “The third aspect is a series of about 100 Weekly Tool Box Talks,” he said. “Those are available to members on our Website. The pieces are meant to be a weekly talk a manager could give to folks out in the field, going through different safety topics every week as a reminder. We have about two years worth of Weekly Tool Box Talks.” Baker continued: “The fourth aspect is the safety award contest, sponsored by Commercial Insurance Associates and Railway Track & Structures. At this time we have about 35 contractor participants submitting entries to the contest. Basically, they submit their entire safety program, including written documents, what videos they use, how many meetings they have, how the meetings are organized, etc. The entries also include workers’ comp experience rating, any OSHA violations and documentation about RWP training. All winners are announced at the NRC conference, and highlighted in the conference program and on the Website. We do all this as a way to recognize the safest contractors with the best safety programs, but also as a way to emphasize that we care about safety.” Distance Training courses for employees in the rail industry since 1909. “We offer training programs for many disciplines of the rail industry, including track workers, carmen, mechanics, and electricians,” said Patricia Kentner, director of REB. “Our customers are looking for basic track maintenance training for entry-level employees and refresher training for existing employees,” she said. “Many of our students are looking to further their careers by moving up to supervisory and managerial level jobs. We also receive a lot of inquiries about track inspection and repair procedures and derailment investigation techniques. Our customers are Class 1 railroads, shortlines and industry.” Kentner continued: “Adult learners learn in different ways, so we offer different types of training such as distance training, work site training, workshops and customized training solutions. “Our distance training is used in conjunction with our customers’ handson training,” Kentner said. “This delivery approach presents another layer of exposure to the subject matter to supplement, enhance and reinforce work experience. Plus, our materials can be used as a reference for years to come. “With distance training works, we send our materials directly to employees so they have everything they need to get started,” she explained. “They’ll receive a textbook, booklet or other training aids at the beginning of the course. We’ll also send them the tests so they can be completed as the company requires. Employees simply review the material, answer the test questions and submit their answers to us. An increasing number of our students are submitting and completing their tests through our Website. “Our distance training is beneficial to the majority of workers in the rail industry at an affordable price,” Kentner noted. “Basic fundamentals do not change a whole lot from customer to customer. Our customers don’t want or need to reinvent. Our distance training is an off-the-shelf solution they can use. “Two of our most popular distance training programs are Basic Principles of Track Maintenance and Advanced Principles of Track Maintenance,” Kentner said. “These two courses touch on a number of different topics important to understand. The Basic course presents topics such as track structure, www.rtands.com excellence and do all we can to continue to be that standard bearer by having the highest quality, and most comprehensive employee training and certification programs in an academic setting.” NARS, Overland Park, Kan., is a collaborative partnership between Johnson County Community College and BNSF. Drury pointed out that NARS is are the only rail industry performance improvement resource that offers all three key elements of high-quality, value-added training: • The most advanced facilities and equipment. • The most comprehensive, handson, accredited educational programs in a learning environment. • The most technically-proficient and industry-current instructors. “We are responsive to customer requirements,” Drury noted. “We establish and maintain long-term, trusted relationships with our customers. We listen and respond to what they tell us they need. We are never afraid to tailor a course or take it to the field or enhance our online offerings. We meet all FRA requirements and help customers meet and account for regulatory requirements. “NARS is a full-service, one-stop performance improvement resource and has the flexibility to customize any course to meet customer needs,” he said. “Customers tell us they can better focus on their mission, instead of training, and reduce training costs. NARS customers have the comfort of knowing our programs meet FRA requirements and help them improve accountability for those requirements. With better-trained employees, customers have the ability to build and fast track career paths.” NRC “The obvious purpose of NRC’s training program is safety in its own right, which is a legitimate and important goal on its own,” said Chuck Baker, president of The National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association. “From a business point of view, we believe that railroads outsourcing work to contractors is generally the most efficient way for them to run their capital spending program. Probably the only two hesitations they tend to have are labor relations internally, which we can’t do much about, and safety, which we can do something about. We 24 Railway Track & Structures REB The Railway Educational Bureau, a sister company of RT&S, has offered November 2008 http://www.rtands.com

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Railway Track and Structures Contents On Track Industry Today Supplier News AREMA News NRC News TTCI R&D TrainingVvital in Shaping Future of Railroad Industry Switch Stands, Switch Machines Automation Offers Improvements in M/W Planning AREMA 2008 Conference Report Products and Literature People Calendar Advertisers Index Sales Representatives Website Directory Professional Directory Classified Advertising Chicago Perspective

Railway Track & Structures - November 2008

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