AAR names 2013 hazmat safety award winners

Yesterday, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) announced the 2013 recipients of the Holden-Proefrock, Non-Accident Release Grand Slam, Perfect Game and TRANSCAER® National Achievement awards. The awards were presented at the 27th Annual AAR/BOE Hazmat Seminar in Addison, Texas.
 
BNSF Railway's Director of Hazardous Materials Edward Chapman received the Holden-Proefrock Award, presented annually to a rail industry individual who has made significant contributions to hazmat transportation safety throughout his or her career.

Chapman, who has served the industry for more than 36 years, has demonstrated an increased level of environmental excellence in BNSF’s environmental and hazardous materials programs, AAR said in a prepared statement. As a trained and certified hazmat responder, he has "increased community awareness by providing hazmat training to enhance first responders' proper response in the event of an incident," according to AAR.
 
"His efforts have truly helped improve hazmat transportation safety in North America," added AAR Senior Vice President of Safety and Operations Robert VanderClute.

The award is named after 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 hazmat emergency response pioneer.
 
The AAR also presented 2013 Non-Accident Release Grand Slam Awards to Chevron Products Co., Koch Fertilizer L.L.C. and Targa Resources. The annual award recognizes exemplary hazmat shippers. To be eligible to receive the award, a shipper must be honored individually by at least four Class Is and have zero non-accident releases involving their shipments the previous calendar year.

Meanwhile, 2013 Perfect Game Awards were presented to ERCO Worldwide, LANXESS Corp., Moose Jaw Refinery Partnership, Occidental Chemical Corp., PVS Chemicals Inc., Solvay Chemicals, Styrolution, and Westlake Chemical Corp. To receive the award, shippers must have been recognized by at least four Class Is and have had zero NARs from rail shipments both to and from a consignee over a calendar year.
 
Finally, BNSF, the CN Dangerous Goods Team, CN, Canadian Pacific, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Corp. and Union Pacific Railroad received 2013 TRANSCAER National Achievement Awards in recognition of their "extraordinary efforts in support of the TRANSCAER initiative," AAR said. TRANSCAER (Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response) members consist of volunteer representatives from the chemical manufacturing, transportation, distributor and emergency response industries, as well as the government.