The Association of American Railroads (AAR) announced on May 20, 2015 the 2014 recipients of the Holden-Proefrock Award, Non-Accident Release Grand Slam Award, and Perfect Game Award. In addition, TRANSCAER® announced their National Achievement Awards. The awards were presented at the 28th Annual AAR/BOE Hazmat Seminar in Addison, TX.
Romano DeSimone, a CSX Transportation employee, received the Holden-Proefrock Award. This award is given annually to a person associated with the railroad industry who has made lifetime contributions to the field of hazmat safety by rail. Throughout his more than 30 year career with CSX, DeSimone has demonstrated great leadership while contributing to numerous advances in the field of hazmat emergency response. His accomplishments include: educating first responders, developing relationships with local emergency management personnel and contributing to industry advances such as commodity specific training, tank car enhancements and response preparedness.
The award is named in honor of Roy Holden, a former AAR employee and a pioneer in tank car design and safety, and Art Proefrock, a former Hulcher Emergency Services employee who was a pioneer in hazardous materials transportation emergency response.
2014 AAR NAR Reduction Awards winners:
The 2014 Non-Accident Release Grand Slam Award went to Celanese Corporation, CF Industries Holdings, Inc., Keyera Corporation, Koppers Inc. and Pembina. AAR and the BOE bestow the Non-Accident Release Grand Slam Award annually to companies that are 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 (NARs) involving their shipments the previous calendar year. A hazardous materials non-accident release is an unintentional release of a hazardous material while in transportation, but not involving an accident.
The 2014 Perfect Game Award went to Aux Sable Liquid Products LP, Canexus Corporation, Centennial Energy, LLC, Global Partners LP, Linde Group, Marathon Petroleum Corporation, NOVA Chemicals Corporation and Styrolution America, LLC. To be eligible to receive the award, a shipper must be honored by at least four Class I North American railroads and have had zero NARs from rail shipments both to and from a consignee over a calendar year.
Six Class I railroads including BNSF Railway Company, CN Dangerous Goods Team, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Corporation and Union Pacific Railroad recently received the 2014 TRANSCAER® National Achievement Award in recognition of their extraordinary efforts in support of the TRANSCAER® initiative. Additional winners of the TRANSCAER® Award were California Traction and the Renewable Fuels Association. Kansas City Southern took home a Regional Achievement award. TRANSCAER® (Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response) is a voluntary national outreach effort that focuses on assisting communities to prepare for and to respond to a possible hazardous material transportation incident. TRANSCAER® members consist of volunteer representatives from the chemical manufacturing, transportation, distributor and emergency response industries, as well as the government.
(Source: AAR)
