Jake Safety Award Winners Named

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association said this week that 346 railroads will receive a Jake Safety Awards with 19 member railroads being recognized as President’s Safety Award winners.

In a news release, ASLRA said the awards recognize members for above-industry average safety performance during 2020.

An ASLRRA member must perform better than the industry average reportable injury frequency rate for railroads other than Class Is, commuter railroads and Amtrak based on data reported to the Federal Railroad Administration. Railroads must have completed all FRA-required employee-on-duty reporting for 2020.

That average industry reportable injury frequency rate for 2020 was 2.18 per 200,000 employee on-duty hours.

President’s Award winners posted the lowest reportable injury frequency rate per FRA regulations as measured within man-hour categories.

The Jake Awards are named for Lowell S. “Jake” Jacobson, the president and general manager of the Copper Basin Railway who pushed to establish the award program named in his honor.

Among the Jake award winners were the Buffalo & Pittsburgh, Evansville Western, Indiana & Ohio, Gary Railway, Indiana Rail Road, Kanawha River, Paducah & Louisville Terminal, and Union Railroad.

President’s award winners included the Columbus & Ohio River Railroad for 150,000 to 250,000 man hours worked, and Gary Railway Company for 250,000 to 500,000 man hours worked.

2 Pa. Short Lines Get Safety Awards

Two Pennsylvania short line railroads have received President’s Safety Awards from the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association.

Honored in the eastern region were the Buffalo & Pittsburgh,  and the York Railway Company.

The awards recognize railroads that achieved the lowest accident frequency rate based on 2019 Federal Railroad Administration data that is categorized based on the number of injury-free man hours worked.

Winners of the award will be recognized during the ASLRRA’s virtual Connections convention to be held Oct. 5-9.

Corman Kentucky Line Receives Safety Award

A Kentucky short line railroad has received a President’s Award from the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association in recognition of its safety record.

R.J. Corman received the award at the annual Southern Region meeting Nov. 11-13 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Corman’s Central Kentucky Lines was recognized for most hours of injury-free operation and best safety rate, 50,000 to 150,000 man-hours.

Also recognized was the Florida East Coast Railway, the Corman Memphis Line and the Alabama Warrior Railway.

In a statement ASLRRA President Chuck Baker said recipients of the award are considered to be industry leaders that strive to value safety above all competing priorities each day.

Ohio Short Line Receives Safety Award

An Ohio short line railroad has been honored for its safety record in 2018.

The Columbus & Ohio River Railroad received one of five President’s Awards from the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association this week in recognition of an outstanding safety performance in 2018.

The CUOH which is owned by Genesee & Wyoming, was recognized for most hours of injury-free operation.

It operates 277 miles of track in Ohio and interchanges with CSX, Norfolk Southern, Wheeling & Lake Erie, Ohio Central and Ohio Railroad.

Other railroads recognized for the best safety rates in their respective categories included the Union Railroad, more than 500,000 man-hours; Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad (which also is owned by G&W), 250,000 to 500,000 man-hours; Winchester & Western, 50,000 to 150,000 man-hours; and Tradepoint Rail, less than 50,000 man-hours.

The awards were presented during ASLRRA’s annual Eastern Region meeting held in Columbus.

Chemical Group Recognizes CSX

The American Chemistry Council has recognized CSX for its health, safety, security and environmental policies and protocols.

In a news release, CSX said it received Responsible Care Management certification from the ACC.

CSX said that to qualify for the certification independent auditors reviewed the carrier’s public safety, health and environment management system to ensure its effectiveness and compliance with the ACC’s responsible care standards.

The ACC first awarded certification to CSX more than 20 years ago.

South Shore Wins Safety Award

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association has awarded its 2017 President’s Award for safety achievements to the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad.

The award was presented earlier this month at an ASLRRA regional meeting. It is given Each year to a short line or regional railroad that posts the best safety rate as reported by the Federal Railroad Administration.

The South Shore was honored in the category for railroads with a maximum of 150,000 man-hours.

“We work hard to ensure that our employees go home safe, as well as provide safe service for our customers and the communities we work in and travel through,” said President Todd Bjornstad in a statement.

To qualify for the President’s Award, a railroad also must have earned ASLRRA’s Jake Award for achieving a better-than-industry average safety performance during the prior year.

The South Shore, which is a subsidiary of Anocostia Rail Holdings, earned a Jake With Distinction Award for operating without a personal injury in 2017.

NS Manager Receives AAR Safety Award

A Norfolk Southern executive was the 2017 recipient of the Holden-Proefrock Award given by the Association of American Railroads.

Paul Williams was recognized for his 34 years of seeking to ensure the safe transport of hazardous materials by rail.

As NS Southeast regional manager of hazardous materials, Williams oversees emergency response, regulatory support, and managing derailments.

The Holden-Proefrock Award is named in honor of Roy Holden, a former AAR employee and innovator in tank car design and safety, and Art Proefrock, a former Hulcher Emergency Services employee who pioneered hazardous materials transportation emergency response.

The AAR also presented its 2016 NAR Grand Slam Awards on 21 companies that were recognized for being “exemplary” shippers of hazardous materials. An award winner must have been recognized by at least four Class I railroads and have had zero non accident releases involving their shipments during the previous calendar year.

CSX Lauds Chemical Customers for Safety

CSX has awarded 78 customers its Chemical Safety Excellence Award for their commitment to the safe transportation of hazardous materials by rail.

The award recognizes customers that ship more than 600 carloads of hazardous materials during the year without a release due to controllable factors such as not properly securing valves or closures.

In a news release, CSX said that it works with its customers to ensure that hazardous materials are transported safely and to help train employees in safe loading and handling procedures.

“CSX’s commitment to safety – for our customers, our employees and the communities we serve – is the foundation of the decisions we make every day,” said Skip Elliott, CSX vice president of public safety, health and environment. “We’re honored to work with customers who share this value as we deliver safe, reliable rail service to move their important products around the country.”

CSX said many of the recipients are repeat winners and represent such industries as energy, technology and agriculture.

NS Salutes 60 Chemical Shippers for Safety

Sixty chemical of Norfolk Southern’s chemical customers have been awarded the Thoroughbred Chemical Safety Award for 2015.

In a news release, NS said the firms safely transported over NS rail lines 224,660 carloads of chemical product that the federal government classifies as hazardous.

 “We congratulate these valued business partners for their industry-leading safety performance,” said Alan Shaw, NS executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “Through their commitment to safe shipping practices, they ensure the well-being of rail and chemical industry employees, the communities that our companies serve, and the environment. They help us demonstrate daily to our stakeholders that rail is the safe, reliable, and environmentally friendly choice to ship chemical products.”

NS said that in 2015, 55 companies shipping 213,150 carloads and five plants handling 11,510 carloads achieved the standard for safe shipping.

Primary shipped in customer-owned or leased tank cars, the products include crude oil, ethanol, fertilizers, and industrial chemicals.

NS said that it works with its chemical customers to provide safety training.

Among the companies that won the award that have facilities in Ohio were ArcelorMittal USA, Lima Refining (Husky), Marathon Petroleum, Midwest Terminals of Toledo, and Nucor.

 

Ohio Central Receives Safety Award

The Ohio Central Railroad has been recognized as one of the winners of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association 2013 Safety Awards.

The OC, which is owned by Genesee & Wyoming, Inc., receives a President’s Award for most hours of injury-free operation in the category of 50,000 to 150,000 man hours worked.

“2013 was a successful year from a safety standpoint for ASLRRA member railroads,” ASLRRA said in a news release.

Two-hundred ninety-five railroad members earned Jake Awards with Distinction for reaching the ultimate goal of achieving a 0.00 FSI* (Frequency/Severity Index) for the year.

Among those were the Cleveland Commercial Railroad, the Ashtabula, Carson & Jefferson Railroad, R.J. Railroad Corman Cleveland Line, Columbus & Ohio River Railroad, the Flats Industrial Railroad, the Mahoning Valley Railway Company,  Newburgh and South Shore  Railroad, Ohi-Rail Corp., Ohio Central Railroad, Ohio Southern Railroad, Warren & Trumbull Railroad, Youngstown & Austintown Railroad, the Youngstown Belt Railroad, and the Youngstown & Southeastern Railroad.

Twenty-eight additional railroads received Jake Awards for having an injury rate lower than the industry average of 2.42.