Review will help strengthen safety culture
across the company
ATLANTA, May 25, 2023
/PRNewswire/ -- Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) announced
the appointment of Atkins Nuclear Secured (ANS), a member of the
SNC-Lavalin Group, to conduct an independent review of the
company's safety-first culture.
ANS has decades of experience, with a focus on the nuclear
sector, and is one of the world's most respected firms composed of
safety, security, engineering, and project management experts. ANS
and its predecessor companies have addressed some of the U.S.
Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration's
toughest infrastructure and safety challenges. With ANS, Norfolk
Southern will build upon the culture work and safety initiatives
underway at the company, including its recently announced six-point
safety and craft workforce engagement plans.
"The entire Norfolk Southern team is deeply committed to being
an even safer railroad. The nuclear industry is the gold standard
for industrial safety, and we intend to set the gold standard for
the railroad industry," said Norfolk Southern President and CEO
Alan H. Shaw. "Through our
discussions with ANS, it became clear that we share a focus on
safety and operational excellence. We are confident that ANS is the
right partner to help identify opportunities to help strengthen our
safety practices."
With access across the company, ANS will report directly to
Shaw and evaluate the company's safety culture, safety-related
training programs, employee engagement, oversight and monitoring,
and communications protocols and practices. Opportunities to
improve safety will be implemented in phases, while simultaneously
building a roadmap for long-term success.
"We look forward to learning from ANS's work to drive enhanced
safety outcomes, all while furthering our safety culture," said
Amy Miles, Chair of the Norfolk
Southern Board of Directors. "The Board is fully committed to
enhancing risk oversight and governance through this independent
assessment."
The ANS team is composed of professionals with extensive
experience in the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program and will be led
by Admiral Kirk Donald, U.S. Navy
(Ret.), the program's former Director. In that role, Admiral Donald
was responsible for the safe and effective operation of all U.S.
nuclear-powered warships.
"Norfolk Southern takes a continuous improvement approach to
their safety culture and we are energized to work alongside them to
identify and implement additional opportunities that will make them
an even safer and better railroad," said Admiral Donald.
The commitment to safety at Norfolk Southern is a focus across
the company. On Tuesday, Shaw and leaders of twelve unions
representing Norfolk Southern's railroaders jointly reiterated
their shared commitment to safety in a letter to all of the
company's employees:
"We will collaborate, consult experts, review best
practices, and listen to the people closest to the work. Working
together – and broadening the conversation to ensure
everyone plays a part – is the best way to achieve meaningful
improvement. We will remain open-minded, nimble, and fact-based,
making changes as we learn. Along the way we will continue to look
for other ways to collaborate to improve the quality of life for
our colleagues."
About Norfolk Southern
Since 1827, Norfolk
Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) and its predecessor companies have
safely moved the goods and materials that drive the U.S. economy.
Today, it operates a customer-centric and operations-driven freight
transportation network. Committed to furthering sustainability,
Norfolk Southern helps its customers avoid 15 million tons of
yearly carbon emissions by shipping via rail. Its dedicated team
members deliver more than 7 million carloads annually, from
agriculture to consumer goods, and is the largest rail shipper of
auto products and metals in North
America. Norfolk Southern also has the most extensive
intermodal network in the eastern U.S., serving a majority of the
country's population and manufacturing base, with connections to
every major container port on the Atlantic coast as well as the
Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes.
Learn more by visiting www.NorfolkSouthern.com.
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SOURCE Norfolk Southern Corporation