{"id":76947,"date":"2024-01-29T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-29T17:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/?p=76947"},"modified":"2024-01-29T12:48:48","modified_gmt":"2024-01-29T17:48:48","slug":"ns-becomes-first-class-i-carrier-to-sign-onto-c3rs-reporting-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/ns-becomes-first-class-i-carrier-to-sign-onto-c3rs-reporting-system\/","title":{"rendered":"NS becomes first Class I carrier to sign onto C3RS reporting system","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Joint safety initiative provides employees confidential forum to report safety issues <\/em> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

ATLANTA and INDEPENDENCE, OH (January 29, 2024) \u2014\u00a0<\/strong> Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC), the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers \u2013 Transportation Division (SMART-TD), and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), in partnership with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), announced Monday their joint participation in an FRA Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS) pilot program designed to enhance railroad safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNS is proud to partner with our labor leaders and FRA to make another industry-leading advancement in safety,\u201d said Alan H. Shaw, Norfolk Southern President and CEO.  \u201cWe are committed to setting the gold standard for rail safety, and we are proud to be the first Class I railroad to deliver on our promise to co-develop and launch a C3RS program.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the one-year C3RS pilot, covered NS employees can report safety concerns with the certainty that such reports will not result in discipline. NASA will deidentify data and provide it for review by a joint committee of NS and labor representatives, who, with FRA\u2019s guidance, will identify and implement corrective actions to improve safety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is huge step forward for the safety of our brothers and sisters at Norfolk Southern,\u201d said SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson. \u201cSMART-TD has been a long-time champion of C3RS, and this new program will allow our members to speak up when they see unsafe conditions without fear of negative repercussions. I would like to thank General Chairpersons James Ball, Joe Borders, Tommy Gholson, David Phillips, and Dan Weir for their unwavering commitment to bringing C3RS to their members.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt should be the goal of everyone who works in the railroad industry to continually improve safety,\u201d said BLET National President Eddie Hall. \u201cProviding a confidential platform to report unsafe practices allows us to harness the power of every worker\u2019s voice. NS and its CEO, Alan Shaw, should be applauded for taking this step. I hope that this will become a model for other Class I freight railroads.\u201d Added Hall, \u201cI also would like to commend the leadership shown by General Chairmen Scott Bunten, Dewayne Dehart, and Jerry Sturdivant who helped make this happen by negotiating on behalf of our NS members.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Participation in this C3RS pilot underscores NS, SMART-TD and BLET\u2019s shared belief that collaboration and transparency are foundational pillars of an effective safety program. Key goals of the C3RS pilot program include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n