OREANDA-NEWS. BNSF honored the accomplishments of seven employees as Safety Employees of the Year for 2013 at an awards ceremony last night in Fort Worth, Texas. These individuals demonstrated the highest regard for upholding BNSF’s focus on everyday safety practices across its nationwide transportation network.

Those honored as Safety Employees of the Year were:
* George Eaton, brakeman, Haslet, Texas
* Phillip Gabel, locomotive engineer, Trinidad, Colo.
* Jason Harris, electrician, Memphis, Tenn.
* Steve Jewell, signal maintainer, Williams, Ariz.
* Michael Lunak, locomotive engineer, Grand Forks, N.D.
* Joe Sypal, carman, Lincoln, Neb.
* Matthew Thomas, intermodal clerk, Corwith, Ill.

"Safety is our highest priority and an integral piece of BNSF’s culture," said Carl Ice, president and chief executive officer of BNSF. "The 2013 Safety Employees of the Year have gone above and beyond to help advance BNSF’s safety vision of an accident- and injury-free workplace, working to instill a culture of commitment to safety and to emphasize the importance of behavior-based safety among their co-workers and peers."