Conductor killed on the job
A CSX Railroad employee was killed Monday after he was crushed by tons of coal while unloading a train.
Posted: Monday, May 26, 2008 at 10:49 p.m.
It happened in Robeson County, North Carolina. Police say the conductor was killed at Progress Energy’s Weatherspoon Plant.
The man was part of a two-person crew that was unloading the 97-car train when he either fell or was pulled down into the coal.
He died on the scene. Police are still investigating.
Thats sad,Probably loved his job too…
Lets dont forget to pray for this family’s loss
Isn’t technology a wonderful thing. Back in the day they couldn’t have imagined running a 97 car train with only two people. Look how much the railroads save for their investors with these modern high-tech trains. Just think, if the train had a five man crew then two people might have been killed. Or maybe one of the other three might have saved him.
Hmmm…
I am willing to bet a year’s pay that this young man was not given ample amount of requalifying after being furloughed. Quite a few of these returning furloughed men and women are being called back to work and have not even had the chance to get “Marked Up” and start working consistently.
Sadly, the company will only allow a returning furloughed person 2 1/2 weeks to become requalified.
My prayers go out to the family.
Are we sure he was a conductor, not a contract employee for the plant?
On my railroad, conductors do not unload cars, of any type, at any time.
We spot and pull cars, but never load or unload them…
The report says he was part of a 2 man crew unloading the cars…but then again it also says he was a conductor…the two are not the same job.
I, too, am interested in why the conductor–he was a conductor, Ed; a CSX employee and UTU member–was in a position to be in the way of falling coal.
Perhaps we don’t know enough about the unloading area, or the train involved–did cars have to be separated and recoupled as part of the dumping operation?
Edit: The Newswire has this story, stating that the conductor may have fallen off a car, or was otherwise dragged into the coal. They also said that his name wasn’t known–however, the UTU website had published name and local affiliation already this morning. Still to be resolved, as far as I’m concerned, was why this conductor was riding a car anywhere near where the dumping was taking place–indeed, why he would be riding a car at all.
On the NS the conductors are in the load out watching the loading they tell the engineer when to start and when to stop, when unloading coal the conductor is in the pit area also telling the engineer when to start and when to stop, this is called loading and unloading . Now im thinking that the csx and the power plant might have a short line crew loading and unloading the trains now and the real railroad crew will run the train from 1 spot to the other. the ns delivers a train to a non union mine leaves the power on it then a non union short line comes over and loads the train and when we take it for dilivery the same crew unloads it when we git there, all remte controll . Ive seen other remote controll engine operators climbing under thier engine with no hand brakes or regular brakes applied.
Carl,
That makes a little more sense, if the conductor was using the radio to spot each car for dumping one at a time…and like you, I wonder how he would have gotten in a position to get pulled/knocked/fall into the coal.
Wabash states on his road the conductors do this, so…
If he fell from a car, well, I can’t come up with any reason for him to be riding a car across any dump pit or unloader in the first place…it is usually against a carriers safety rules.
At least, it is against ours.
We had a young guy get killed 8 years ago, he got confused, and rode a wood chip car over the auger pit at Pasadena paper, and the close clearance knocked him off the side and into the chip auger, which was running at the time.
When the foreman realized the new guy had shoved into the wrong track, he stopped the movement, but way too late for the kid.
No matter how he got there, the fact is he died, so maybe we should let this one sit for a while and see what the investigation and the Feds come up with…inside the plant OSHA might have a word or two also.
I feel sorry for his family…
I’ve heard alot about this today and yesterday at work. I’m out of Linwood, NC so that happened not too far from me. Doesn’t mention a derailment. I was told that he was crushed under the coal. Wondering if one of two things didn’t happen. #1, the car derailed and turned over dumping out it’s load and he was caught under it, or #2, if he was riding up in the top of the coal hopper while shoving into the plant and the car may have turned over. It’s actually safer on my territory to ride up in the coal than hanging on the side of the car for a 2 or 3 mile shove back into a power plant. He may have also been too close to the side of the hopper doors when they opened (if manual dump the conductor stands next to the car while power plant employee’s open each bay door) and slipped and went down the chute. Had no business being that close if that was what happened because we’re not even allowed to assist in the opening of the doors if they were manual dumps. Also, on my territory, somebody back from being cut off, they don’t even get 2 weeks to requalify. They get 1 or 2 trips and thats it.
I agree… I’m sure it won’t be very long before the cause is determined. And when it is, I’m sure it will be concluded that the accident was somehow preventable.
Conductors walk a very thin line, regularly, in terms of personal safety. Three step protection provides the sense of security that they will not be struck or crushed by the cars and engines that the get between, behind and in front of on a regular basis. What kind of protection was in place that could’ve prevented this? I’m sure there was some kind of safety policy in place and that SOMEBODY dropped the ball. Maybe it was the conductor being complacent, maybe it someone else who misguided the train crew. Either way it’s clear that the conductor was someplace that he probably shouldn’t have been.
I’m sure there’s a safety officer assigned to the facility in question and that he’ll be in the hot seat real soon if he hasn’t been already.
Me too. I can’t imagine what it must be like for them right now.
My thoughts are also with all around him.
Not to belabor the point, but does anyone know what kind of unloader this particular plant uses?