Front row, from left: Roberto Grajeda, BNSF (Colorado); Dan Cadogen, Keolis (Massachusetts); Ken Abell, BNSF (California); Howie Allington, BNSF (Washington); Nick Silva, BMWED; and Dewayne Dehart, Norfolk Southern (Indiana). Back row, from left: D.B. Kenner, BNSF (Montana); Brian Fransen, BLET Safety Task Force Coordinator, BNSF (Wyoming); Don Hill, SEPTA (Pennsylvania); Shawn Lawton, STF Assistant Coordinator, CSX (New York); Jim Maynard, Union Pacific (Arizona); Steve Facklam, STF Assistant Coordinator, BNSF (Missouri); Scott Brown, NS (Pennsylvania); Lonnie Swigert; Wheeling & Lake Erie (Ohio); Michael Banks, BNSF (Wisconsin); and John Prokop, UP (Texas).
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Last week, 15 members of the BLET Safety Task Force gained valuable knowledge and skill about what to do during a hazardous materials spill on the rails when they completed the Rail Worker Hazardous Materials Training Program’s 40-hour Chemical Emergency Response course. Conducted by the Teamsters Safety and Health Department, the course addressed OSHA and DOT requirements and featured interactive classroom instruction, small group activities, hands-on drills, and a simulated hazmat response in full safety gear. The 15 Safety Task Force members who completed the training include: Roberto Grajeda, BNSF (Colorado); Dan Cadogen, Keolis (Massachusetts); Ken Abell, BNSF (California); Howie Allington, BNSF (Washington); Dewayne Dehart, Norfolk Southern (Indiana); D.B. Kenner, BNSF (Montana); Brian Fransen, BLET Safety Task Force Coordinator, BNSF (Wyoming); Don Hill, SEPTA (Pennsylvania); Shawn Lawton, STF Assistant Coordinator, CSX (New York); Jim Maynard, Union Pacific (Arizona); Steve Facklam, STF Assistant Coordinator, BNSF (Missouri); Scott Brown, NS (Pennsylvania); Lonnie Swigert; Wheeling & Lake Erie (Ohio); Michael Banks, BNSF (Wisconsin); and John Prokop, UP (Texas). BLET Vice President Randy Fannon, who heads the BLET Safety Task Force, said: “The STF team went through scenarios that helps identify hazmat issues. Following recent hazmat issues in East Palestine Ohio, Bailey Yard in North Platte, Nebraska, and on October 6 in Sheffield, Alabama, the team participated in review of their incidents that help the Safety Task Force when they are launched to incidents across the country. The team obtained knowledge that will assist in their submissions of recommendations to the parties involved in these types of accidents or releases.” The training took place October 1-5, 2023, at the Val Jahnke Training Facility in Houston, Texas. Three more rail hazmat training workshops are scheduled for early 2024.More information and registration available here.
