(The following story by Gregory Richards appeared on The Virginian-Pilot website on March 8.)
NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern Corp. appears positioned to win top honors for the best employee safety record among large U.S. railroads for the 19th year in a row.
The E.H. Harriman Memorial Safety Awards are given to railroads with the lowest employee injury and death rates per 200,000 hours of work time, a statistic compiled by the Federal Railroad Administration. That figure may be weighted to give more bearing to severe injuries and deaths.
Last year, Norfolk-based Norfolk Southern’s rate was 1.17, close to the 1.21 earned by CSX Corp., which also operates throughout the East, according to data released this week by the federal agency. Among big U.S. railroads, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. had the highest rate – 1.93.
The industry prize will be announced on May 14.