Summer 2003
Volume 110 - No. 2
Summer 2003
Volume 110 - No. 2
BLE Focus
Hats off to the safety ranger
With his infectious enthusiasm and team spirit, BLE Division 301 (Roanoke,
Va.) member Don Nauman took an idea for safety that he and his co-workers
came up with and spread it system-wide on Norfolk Southern.
Several years ago, Brother Nauman dubbed himself a "safety ranger" after seeing many incidents and accidents on his years with the railroad. He realized that many of these incidents were preventable and usually occurred because of inattentiveness. Calling himself a safety ranger drew attention to this attitude and many of his co-workers joined him.
They saw the program as a way to make the workplace interesting. Each person looks out for their co-workers with and emphasizes that they are a team.
Nauman and other experienced employees take time to work with less-experienced employees to help them work safely and within the rules. They go over tasks in the workplace in order to make sure everyone knows the proper way to do things. Nauman said the program is especially helpful for the young people he works with.
"It makes it fun for them. It is a challenge," he said. "When I first started out, I was careless, but I was very fortunate to never get hurt. I want to make sure these young people do not make the same mistakes."
The program has a motto: "Helping real people with real situations to avoid the possibility of real incidents and injuries."
"We're all human and we all make mistakes," Nauman said. "This helps us to keep safety in the front of our minds while we are at work. We look out for each other."
Even those co-workers who do not participate still keep safety in mind because of Nauman's enthusiasm and focus on the issue.
"It's an attitude. It is a personal commitment to safety for you and your co-workers. You remind each other to be safe and it keeps you alert," Nauman said.
The program's main objective is to make sure that each member follows safety rules and does not take short cuts, no matter how pressed for time they are.
"I always remember being told that haste makes waste. You need to eliminate shortcuts in order to be safe," Nauman said.
One of the keys to safety for Nauman is getting plenty of rest.
"When you are well-rested, you are more likely to be attentive to what you are doing and less likely to make careless mistakes," he said.
Brother Nauman, who joined the BLE in 1993, is very enthusiastic about the topic of safety and, at first, his constant preaching rubbed some co-workers the wrong way.
"They thought I was laying it on too thick, but eventually, they realized they were becoming more attentive to the issue," Nauman said. "I have had a good time doing it."
NS officials also came to see that Nauman's program, which uses Norfolk Southern's operating and safety rules, was working and now the program has gone systemwide on NS. Each quarter, Norfolk Southern will give out Safety Ranger Pins. If workers receive four pins in a year, they will get a hat.
"I think we are all a team," Nauman said. "The officials are the coaches and we are the players. The program is kind of like an audible in football - the coach didn't call the play, but it scores the team some points.
"We're all on the same team and our rulebook is like our playbook. You wouldn't think of going out on the playing field without a clear plan as to how you were going to win the game. Why should you start your job without a plan to be safe?"
His efforts and enthusiasm have earned him recognition throughout the NS system. In December 2002, he was profiled in one of Norfolk Southern's publications, NS Newsbreak. In that article, he was praised by Haskel Stanback, NS's assistant vice-president for safety.
"We used Don's idea to create a broad team effort to increase focus on and awareness of safety issues in the workplace. It has an element of fun, but the message is a serious one," Stanback said.
Stanback also praised Nauman's enthusiasm.
"People know Don even if they have never met him in person," he said. "He's proof that one person can make a real difference. I hope that more people like him are willing to bring new ideas to the table. That's how we'll achieve our goal of zero incidents and zero injuries."
Nauman hopes that his program makes a difference. "It is something that I can give back to make the workplace a little safer."
The Gift of Life
Steven Eberhard, left, who donated a kidney to save his younger brother Anthony, right.
According to his fellow BLE Division 13 (LaCrosse, Wisc.) members, when you first meet Steve Eberhard you would never think that he is a hero, but he is.
Standing about five feet, 10 inches tall and weighing almost 130 pounds, and with a pair of bibs that hang from his shoulders, Steve looks more like a "down on his luck dirt farmer" than a BNSF locomotive engineer or hero. That's according to Division 13 Legislative Representative J.J. Kinsman.
In 1996, Steve's brother Anthony, 28, was diagnosed with kidney disease. He spent the past seven years in and out of hospitals. For a time, doctors felt that the ailment could be controlled by medication, but Anthony's kidneys began failing a year and a half ago. In February 2003, doctors decided that a transplant would be needed within a year because of the toll dialysis placed on his body.
Doctors gave Anthony information regarding the different types of procedures and also explained to him that a kidney from a live donor would be better than one from a cadaver.
Anthony called his family, including his four siblings, together to tell them what was happening and to ask them for their help. Immediately, his four siblings volunteered to be tested and Steve was found to be the best match.
After two days of extensive testing, the match was confirmed. It was then that Brother Eberhard faced a tough decision - to go through with the transplant or not.
"I was concerned about my quality of life after the surgery," said Brother Eberhard. "But the doctors assured me that I would be able to continue with the same life that I had after the surgery. They gave me the opportunity to cancel at anytime."
The brothers had grown closer over the last several years. Their age difference of seven years had made closeness difficult before, but now the two lived close to each and Steve was able to see up close the trials that his brother was undergoing with this disease.
"I became involved with his life," said Eberhard. "I watched his kids while he was in and out of the hospitals. I wanted him to have a better quality of life."
"I had a decision to make. I could lose a body part and give my brother a chance at life or watch him suffer. It was actually a simple decision."
The close relationship enabled Brother Eberhard to put aside his own fears and donate one of his kidneys to his brother.
The surgery took place on April 15, 2003, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Brother He spent three days in the hospital. After two weeks of recuperation, Brother Eberhard, who joined the BLE in 1995, was back at work.
"It definitely wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be," he said.
Anthony has also returned to work as a truck driver for Dean's Foods. He is a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Brother Eberhard feels that his story could teach a valuable lesson to others about the value of organ donation.
"I never thought very highly about being an organ donor," said Brother Eberhard. "But now, I plan to register to be one the next time I renew my driver's license.
"There is no reason that people shouldn't be organ donors. It saves lives."
© 2003 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers