NS Honors 52 Chemical Shippers

Norfolk Southern recognized 52 chemical shippers with its 2017 Thoroughbred Chemical Safety Award for safely handling rail-shipped products.

The shippers who received the award collectively shipped 153,213 carloads of chemical products regulated as hazardous material on NS rail lines without incident.

In a news release, NS said it began the awards in 1995 to recognize chemical manufacturers and plants that ship 1,000 carloads or more of hazardous products without a single incident.

Forty-five corporations and seven plants attained the benchmark for 2017. Six of these customers shipped more than 5,000 carloads each.

In 2017, hazardous materials shipped by customers on NS lines included industrial chemicals used to manufacture consumer goods, crude petroleum, ethanol and fertilizers.

NS usually moves these products in tank cars owned or leased by customers, who are responsible for maintaining the cars and ensuring that valves and caps and other components are in good working condition and properly secured for transit.

Tags: hazardous materials, Norfolk Southern, NS chemical shippers, NS safety awards, Thoroughbred Chemical Safety Award