ASLRRA to recognize individuals, railroads for safety efforts

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) will present its annual Safety Awards this week at the association's Connections Convention in National Harbor, Md.

Among the award recipients will be Teddy Maybrier of Genesee & Wyoming Railroad Services Inc., who has been named ASLRRA's Safety Professional of the Year; and Taylor Kelley of Nebraska Central Railroad Co., who has been chosen Safety Person of the Year.

Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis will receive the President's Award for the most hours of injury-free operation.

The following railroads also will receive President's Awards for maintaining the best safety rates according to certain categories:

• Paducah & Louisville Railway Inc., for 500,000 man-hours worked;

• Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis, for 250,000 to 500,000 man-hours worked;

• South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad, for 150,000 to 250,000 man-hours worked;

• Columbus & Ohio River Rail Road Co., for 50,000 to 150,000 man-hours worked; and

• Los Angeles Junction Railway Co., for less than 50,000 man-hours worked.

In addition, 287 railroads will be honored with the Jake Award with Distinction for completing 2015 without a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) reportable injury. Thirty-seven railroads will receive the Jake Award for having an FRA injury rate below the industry average of 2.59 injuries per 50,000 man hours, according to ASLRRA's Views and News newsletter.

The Jake Awards are named after Lowell S. "Jake" Jacobson, Copper Basin Railway's president and chief operating officer, who created the awards in 1995 and has been a longtime advocate of short-line and rail safety.