Rail workers engage in safety training

Fortunately, it was only a drill.

Eighteen members of railroad unions participated in the hazardous material response drills, part of a four-day training session in St. Paul organized by the Minnesota Railroad Intercraft Association and the National Labor College (NLC).

Rail workers practice sealing a leaky barrel. Photo by Michael Moore

Wearing plastic suits and oxygen masks, trainees engaged in one of two drills. One challenged them to plug a leaking 50-gallon barrel of “sulfuric acid” and prepare the barrel for safe shipping to a containment area.

The other exercise involved a series of pipes leaking benzene. Trainees had to figure out a way to plug the leak, prevent a fire from starting, and keep the benzene out of nearby waterways.

At the conclusion of the drills, trainees went through a series of decontamination steps – including a safety shower, complete with a bristle-brush scrub-down.

Four NLC trainers escorted trainees through the drill stations. The NLC has trained rail workers since the late 1980s both at its campus in Silver Springs, Md., and at remote locations nationwide.

The program is partially funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Minnesota Railroad Intercraft Association, formed in 1982, is comprised of the United Transportation Union, the Teamsters, and the Transportation Communication Workers, an affiliate of the Machinists union.

Safety education is a key component of the association, as rail conductors are the first responders when accidents occur.

Train crews receive a “bare minimum of response training,” according to Phil Qualy, director of the UTU Minnesota Legislative Council.

“Education is a key component of our railroad unions’ safety agenda,” Qualy said. “Railroad workers receive invaluable training and information, and attendees take their training skills to our local (unions) across Minnesota and share the information.”