Introducing Our New Safety Leadership Team
At NPRC, we have learned over the past 25 years that enthusiastic safety leadership at all levels of the organization is a fundamental key to success. That’s why we need safety, today and tomorrow, to be at the core of whatever we do.
Safety Leadership is ever evolving. This spring, NPRC established a new corporate safety organization led by the Safety & Training Department. This group of professional railroaders includes senior leadership, functional safety officers, and the current Health & Safety Culture committee membership.
“We were pleased to announce that Steven Fry—Superintendent Safety, Training & Operating Practices—will lead the overall NPRC corporate safety program. Steve’s role is to support our executive department leaders, and our group of railroaders, with the continued development of our safety culture, and our overall objective of ensuring a safe workplace without injuries or accidents,” says Shawn I. Smith, Executive Vice President. Supporting Steven will be Noel Christensen, Manager Safety, Hazmat, and Training. “It’s a truly moving experience to see these two gentlemen working together—and their passion to ensure that simply no one gets hurt,” adds Smith.
In their expanded safety leadership roles, Steven and Noel will continue to deliver training, externally, to our many clients, as well as internally. While the NPRC Safety and Training team is cross-functional in nature, we have assigned Safety Officers to support department heads and each business function as follows:
Northern Plains Railroad Transportation and NPRS Industrial Switching — Ryan Riskey
NPRS Locomotive Services, Car Repair Services, and Transloading — Noel Christensen
Administration, CTW, and NPR Maintenance of Way — Eric Hegstrom
Steven will also co-chair the NPRC Health & Safety Culture Committee (our “safety culture team”), along with Ryan Riskey. This committee’s membership also includes Noel, Eric Hegstrom, Cheryl Harlow, Jared Wilberg, Jody Wilson, Brandon Bader, Casey Gullickson, Ben Chalich, and Brody Kindsvogel.
As Company President Jesse Chalich affirms, “I have no doubt that Steven, Noel, Eric, and Ryan will continue to position NPRC as an industry leader in safety. With their support and leadership, may we all start our individual workdays safely, look after our fellow railroaders in all that we do, and at the end of our shift— get home safely.”
