The SAC-P or Safety Assurance and Compliance Program, is a new approach to managing safety assets for positive change by emphasizing identification and correction of systemic safety problems. This approach uses information gathered in a site specific inspections and listening sessions with railroad employees to target areas of greatest need.
It was initiated at the request of the FRA after the agency completed a system-wide safety review on UP which began in late August. The object of SAC-P is to address issues identified during the review, as well as other systemic issues that have an impact on safety.
Employees are encouraged to become involved in all phases of the activity through their designated representatives.
SAC-P works in the following manner: A group of about 40 persons from management, labor and the FRA meets in Omaha regularly to discuss systemic safety issues and how to resolve them. To date, this SAC-P Oversight Committee has met twice.
The first meeting, September 23, was mostly organizational, and the committee produced Jerry Davis' safety empowerment letter, a list of safety issues, and a mission statement, The second meeting on October 22, brought an agreement on a process to escalate to the SAC-P Oversight Committee and how the issues would be resolved.
At present, the SAC-P Committee is working on the following six issues:
A working group, headed by representatives from the Oversight Committee, has been assigned to each category with the exception of Training.
Currently, there are subgroups dealing with Discipline (UPGRADE), Crew Utilization (timely relief of train crews), Train Dispatching (selection, training, workload, scheduling), Fatigue (currently selecting a consultant), Signal (working on specific issues from FRA audit) and =TL/AVR.
These Subgroups are working on two fronts: Short term improvements (changes we can make in approximately 30 days) and improvements that are longer term initiatives.
In addition, we have recently announced a policy that guarantees two days rest for any train or engine employee who has worked 14 consecutive days.
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