While it is truly unfortunate to have to report on this topic, it is no less necessary that we address a growing concern on the BNSF.  What began last year as what was hoped to be a short-term anomaly in reportable injuries has continued as an alarming trend into 2025.  According to BNSF data provided to the committee, our 2024 injury frequency ratio (IFR) for Signal was as high as it’s been in a long time.  At one point near the end of 2024, our IFR was even higher than the Track Department’s, which is very uncommon.

The negative trend has now continued into 2025. Just a month and a half into 2025 we had already experienced 3 reportable injuries to BNSF Signal division employees alone (none were reported for System Construction). This resulted in our year-to-date IFR being 1.56.  To put this in perspective, we had more injuries among our division members during that brief timeframe than structures, track maintenance and production gangs combined.

This trend has understandably caused some desperation among BNSF management to identify areas ripe for improvement, including our safety programs and the like.  While we certainly understand and share management’s desire to eliminate injuries, the root causes and methods necessary for correction are areas where we do not always agree.  There are several contributing factors to every injury we should be mindful of in order to prevent future occurrences.  Chief among them is the sense of urgency so many of us perform our duties with.  We must slow down!  We must cautiously and methodically perform our duties; not just to prevent injuries to ourselves.  The inherent safety of others depends on us safely and methodically performing our roles as signalmen.

As for root causes, why is it that this sense of urgency is so deeply ingrained in our minds to begin with?  While there are certainly various reasons for this, a subsequent article will demonstrate that we are doing far more work in 2025 with far fewer people.  And that is where we believe our safety concerns start.  We understand that is not something within signalmen’s control, but it is something the committee will continue to fight to rectify.

As for what you can do, make a conscious effort with every task you do to remind yourself that it’s far better to get it done slowly and safely than to injure yourself in the process. Do not jeopardize your future or your personal well-being for a company that will forget about you the moment you walk out the door.