Bnsf railway training new hires for safety in 2011, bnsf rolled

1. BNSF Railway: Training New Hires for Safety
In 2011, BNSF rolled out a plan to hire more than 4,000 new
employees—one of
the most ambitious hiring plans ever for the company. Of the
new hires, the majority
of them (about 2,400) are being hired into the company’s
Transportation Group as
conductors. The hiring is essential to fill vacancies due to
retirements and to respond
to the increasing business volumes BNSF is shipping. While
these new people will
help BNSF continue providing the level of service that meets
customer expectations,
they must also be equipped with the knowledge, tools, focus,
and skills to work safely.
According to a Training Services department spokesperson,
“Safety permeates all of
our training programs, and with the influx of new employees,
we want to be sure the
concepts are clear and effective.”
Multiple Training Methods
As new hires come on board, BNSF provides training through
multiple methods, in-

2. cluding on-the-job training in the field with input from
experienced employee men-
tors and safety assistants or safety coordinators. Formal training
is provided for many
positions at the company’s Technical Training Center (TTC) in
Overland Park,
Kansas, as well as in the field. New hires at BNSF have an
interim period before
they officially become conductors. During this period,
candidates must successfully
respond to an interview panel, pass safety and rules exams, and
complete either a
13- or 15-week intensive training program (depending on the
location) that includes
classroom and on-the-job training. The program culminates in a
final exam which,
when passed, qualifies students as conductors.
United Transportation Union (UTU) training coordinators help
with the first
week of training and pair students with experienced conductors
who mentor stu-
dents during the on-the-job training segment. One of UTU’s
training coordinators

3. explains that he sets the tone on his territory by focusing most
of his instruction on
safe work practices: “I particularly focus on the Deadly
Decisions—and consequences
of at-risk behaviors.” Once the new hires are paired, the
experienced conductors play
a significant role in conductor training, teaching 9 to 10 weeks
of the 13- to 15-week
program.
Cross-Training the Trainers
Because so many new employees are joining BNSF as
conductors, 42 Transportation
trainers deliver training at 71 locations across BNSF’s system.
To meet the increased
volume of training needed for Transportation, BNSF
implemented cross-training
for all Transportation trainers. The trainers became qualified to
train locomotive en-
gineers and conductors, as well as to provide training on
simulators and rules and
remote train-control operations. In other words, the
Transportation trainers are now
cross-functional, which has effectively increased training
capacity while also expand-

4. ing individual trainers’ areas of specialty. The cross-functional
approach allows BNSF
to efficiently meet the needs of the company, while still
maintaining the integrity of
the core program with safety at the center.
Additionally, the Transportation team places significant energy
into helping
transition new conductors. “Involvement begins during the
initial interview sessions
when a supervisor communicates our safety vision along with
safety expectations,”
says one of BNSF’s managers. The team also provides an
overview of local terrain and
environmental extremes that a potential employee is likely to
encounter. Montana is
a good example, where hiring is especially active. Trainers help
employees understand
the challenges of operating through the mountains and in winter
conditions.
Supervisors interact with trainees throughout the program, both
in group set-
tings and one-on-one. To further integrate a new conductor, the
division’s UTU

5. training coordinators established a day of enhanced safety
training specific to loca-
tion, with plans to expand that training to a broader overview.
Graduates of BNSF’s
conductor training say the training program is vital, and that
they appreciate the high
priority placed on safety.
Managing Safety through Best Practices
The BNSF management team members who are responsible for
the locomotive
engineer training program have identified numerous best
practices for the trainers to
incorporate into their training. BNSF feels these best practices
help the organization
meet its hiring goals while maintaining its focus on a safe,
efficient, and accident-free
workplace.
Questions
1. What methods does BNSF use as part of its comprehensive
training system for
new hires?
2. Explain the company’s team approach to training. How does
cross-training the

6. company’s trainers benefit BNSF?
3. What is the purpose of explaining during interviews BNSF’s
safety practices and
on-the-job working challenges?