For a variety of reasons, some Carrier Officers tend to put their own spin on things. Below are some real world examples that are intended to clarify some common misperceptions.
The Closed Loop Safety Process is all about correcting behavior | CLSP is about reducing risk, both behavioral and physical plant | |
The Local Chairman should be the safety representative | The Agreement gives the involved UTU Local autonomy in choosing their reps | |
Participation in Safety Committees and Work Practice Observations go hand-in-hand | The Agreement provides that each aspect of Safety Participation is separately optional | |
Carrier still controls the safety agenda e.g.; “We can't correct a safety concern because of the budget” | The Agreement calls for shared authority and that all decisions of the Safety Committee be by consensus | |
Safety concerns should be reported to a supervisor if possible...the hotline is just a backup | Employees should use whatever method they are most comfortable with |
Unable to be at all locations at all times, the Safety Coordinators cannot overcome every misconception. Even if they could, a successful safety program must be "grassroots"… driven from the bottom up. To paraphrase a political adage, all safety is local. Rank and file employees at each location must feel a sense of ownership if the program is to succeed.
Before taking control of their safety program, involved UTU members must become familiar with the contents of the following 3 documents.
Each contains information that can be used as tools to correct deviations from the safety program, which for the most part are minor in nature and, in keeping with the “from the bottom up” philosophy, should be resolved locally. This material gives you only a quick overview of these documents. In order to obtain an inside-out working knowledge of the information contained in these documents, craft employees are encouraged to secure complete copies and "digest" them at length. Remember, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.