In 2016, Union Pacific (UP) had the safest year in its 154-year history, with a reportable injury rate of 0.75, down 14 percent from 0.87 in 2015. The employee reportable injury rate is measured by injuries for every 200,000 employee hours worked.
“Union Pacific's employees achieved an incredible milestone reflecting their dedication to operating safely in work areas and the communities we serve,” said UP Vice President Safety Rod Doerr. “This unrelenting focus ensures everyone goes home safely as we work toward our ultimate goal of zero accidents.”
In addition, UP saw an approximately 3 percent improvement in its 2016 derailment rate compared with 2015. The reportable rail equipment incident rate per million train miles decreased to 3.02 from 3.10 in 2015.
The company uses a variety of safety and risk mitigation activities, including the Courage to Care personal commitment, which empowers employees to look out for their peers and "stop the line" on any operation that could result in an incident.
UP also occasionally pauses system wide operations for safety stand-downs in which employees have candid safety discussions and share experiences.