With hundreds of fatal accidents occurring in railyards every single year, proper safety equipment isn’t just a purchase–it’s a life-saving priority. With several small additions to your operation, you can ensure your workers, environment, and surrounding communities are completely protected. Keep reading for our 2025 recommendations for essential railcar safety equipment. 

Why Railcar Safety Equipment is Important

Without proper equipment, railcars pose significant safety risks. For example, take a 2013 incident in Quebec. When left unsupervised overnight, a freight train began to roll. While this freight train was seemingly secured with both hand brakes and air brakes, both these systems failed. This incident resulted in several box cars and tank cars derailing, which caused crude oil spills, fires, building damage, and 47 fatal injuries to surrounding civilians. 

This incident clearly underlines the importance of railcar wheel chocks, derails and other essential physical railcar safety equipment. Now, as determined by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, Canadian railways must use additional physical protections to help prevent runaway equipment. 

Essential Railcar Loading Equipment 

Ready to transform your operations? Here are some essential railcar safety products–all in stock at Northern Platforms today! 

Railcar Wheel Chocks

Railcar wheel chocks help secure the wheels of your railcar while it is being loaded or unloaded. Metal spurs bite into the railway, offering maximum security and safety for workers. At Northern Platforms, we stock a variety of railcar wheel chocks, including:

• Double and single chocks 
• Metal and urethane models
• Both exposed rail and flush rail options
• Wheel chocks with flags

For more information about railcar wheel chock types and proper chocking procedures, read our previous post: “The Ultimate Guide to Railcar Chocks: Types, Uses, and Benefits.”

Derail Devices

 In some emergency situations, your best option is to derail your railcar and prevent catastrophic incidents. That’s where derails come in. These devices lift the wheel’s flange off the track, effectively allowing the wheels of the car to bite into a soft surface and slide to a stop. Derails help prevent:

• One car rolling into another car.
• Unauthorized rolling locomotives from crashing into stationary cars.
• Loose cars from rolling onto the main line. 

Blue Flags 

In Alberta, blue flags are mandatory. These safety signs indicate to approaching operators that railcars are being loaded or unloaded in the area and to signal that there are workers in the area.  Blue flags must be placed on the railway or on a traincar that is easily visible to approaching operators.  

Switch Cube Indicators

Switch cube indicators are common at switches and are often the result of human error. For example, inexperienced operators might not know to accurately read the switch points. Illuminated switch cubes are an ideal piece of equipment that helps clearly indicate which direction the track is going. Many of these cubes are equipped with solar panels, making them energy-efficient and long-lasting. 

Railcar Sockets 

Tank car sockets are available in both steel and bronze configurations, with hex or 8-point designs ranging from 1-5/16″ to 1-7/8″. Steel sockets handle up to 1,500 ft./lbs. of maximum torque, while bronze versions are spark-resistant and rated for 500 ft./lbs.. These tools work with T-wrenches to provide proper leverage for opening and closing dome lid nuts without damaging gaskets or threads.

Brake Sticks

An essential piece of worker equipment, brake sticks help operators work railcar brakes without the use of a ladder. Depending on your needs, there are several different types of brake sticks available, including:

• Telescoping brake sticks with or without magnetic handles
• Light-weight fixed-length brake sticks
• Heavy-duty brake sticks 

Railcar Mover 

Need to move your railcar an inch for the perfect position? These units are impossible to move without locomotive power–unless you have a railcar mover. These simple pieces of equipment allow single workers to move a fully-loaded railcar small distances, allowing them to perfectly align other equipment or loading operations. 

Spill Containment Pans

Accidents happen, even in perfect operating conditions. When dealing with oil, chemicals, or other hazardous cargo, spill containment track pans are an essential fail-safe to help prevent environmental damage. Our product features a modular design that can easily be modified to contain everything from small drips to catastrophic leaks. 

Ready to Enhance Your Railcar Safety?

Railcar wheel chocks, sockets, movers…what piece of safety equipment will you add to your operations? No matter what you decide, the Northern Platforms team is here to help! Explore our product catalogue online or contact our sales team today! Let us help you make your railyard safer, more compliant, and more efficient in 2025.

Top Applications for Industrial Swing Gates 

Oil and Gas Plants 

Oil and gas facilities can be dangerous work sites, especially when operators regularly deal with elevated work platforms, ladders, and other falling hazards. In fact, one of the most significant risks for all workers is unsecured access points on ladders and hatches.

While these risks are significant, ensuring complete safety is easy. Oil and gas facilities count on YellowGate’s industrial swing gates to provide 24/7 protection for all open access points on ladders, stairs, and other areas on their site. For example, the Northern Platforms team installed over 50 safety swing gates at an oil and natural gas facility in central Alberta. This allowed workers to safely navigate the processing plant and ensure they were protected from falling hazardous at every step. 

Food Processing Facilities 

Food and beverage processing facilities combine elevated work environments with strict hygiene requirements. Workers regularly access significant heights on tanks, conveyor systems, and assembly lines. In these circumstances, food processing facilities can benefit from installing safety swing gates in several locations, including:

• Mixing tanks and other processing locations.
• Elevated conveyor systems.
• Ladders and stairways leading to packaging and bottling assembly lines.

Rooftop Access

No matter what industry you operate in, you or your workers will likely have to access the rooftop at some point. From performing HVAC checks to maintaining important equipment, these regular tasks can be dangerous without proper protection in place. Pair your safety swing gates with portable railing systems for comprehensive rooftop fall protection. 

Warehouse Loading Docks

 In addition to standard adjustable swing gates, YellowGate offers the XL barrier gate, which offers 6 feet of adjustable traffic control. Suitable for both interior and exterior applications, this products easily protects passageways in your facilities, helping you control dangerous areas or block unauthorized access.  

The Universal Solution: YellowGate Industrial Safety Gates

When dealing with conventional safety swing gates, your supplier will need to know several details, including:

• The size of each opening where the gate will be installed.
• How the gate will be mounted (square tubing vs. pipes).
• The direction that the gate will swing.

However, with YellowGate’s innovative industrial safety gates, you don’t have to worry about all these details. Featuring a unique universal mounting system and 16-inch adjustability, these fall protection solutions fit almost every type of opening, regardless of your facility. For complete protection, simply count the number of openings on your site and place your order with Northern Platforms—no need for measuring, mounting considerations, or other time-consuming assessments.

Protect Your Facility Today

Ready to simplify your facility’s fall protection with universal adjustable swing gates? With just one SKU, you can guarantee your workers are protected at every turn. Contact Northern Platforms today for turnkey installation, maintenance programs, and more!