Mike Romano is proud of the railroad’s safety performance.

The director of Police and Risk Management said it’s been a great year for safety, and he looks forward to more of the same in the second half
of 2016.

As of June 16, the railroad has experienced only two reportable incidents. If it can avoid further ones, it will improve upon last year’s performance, when there were four.

Romano credits supervisors with enhancing safety through constant vigilance, but craftspeople are due much of the praise.

“Our employees have been engaged in the safety culture,” he said. “The culture has changed through the past five years. Everyone understands safety is good for business.”

In addition to helping the railroad stay productive and efficient, safety is good for morale and well-being within the Belt community of 440 employees.

“Everyone knows everyone and watches out for one another,” Romano said.

The company’s tight-knit nature has helped make communication a strong point. It has helped him and other safety leaders respond to employee concerns and get things done quickly. The response time to repair a broken rail is almost immediate, according to Romano. It’s just one example of how the railroad’s commitment to safety excellence is proven daily. Sometimes Romano and Safety Chairman John Lucio have been called upon to deal with bee swarms attracted to spills from sugar-laden cars in the yard. Both have taken steps to control the pests with sprays until a contractor could arrive and take further action.