Groups Bestow Annual Holden-Proefrock, Grand Slam, Perfect Game, and TRANSCAER® Awards
On May 20 2014 the Association of American Railroads (AAR) announced the 2013 recipients of the Holden-Proefrock Award, Non-Accident Release (NAR) Grand Slam Award, and Perfect Game Award. In addition, TRANSCAER® (Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response), made up of representatives from the chemical manufacturing, transportation, distributor, and emergency response industries, also presented their National Achievement Awards. The awards were presented today 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 person associated with the railroad industry who has made significant contributions to hazmat transportation safety throughout their career. With more than 36 years in the rail community, Chapman has demonstrated an increased level of environmental excellence in BNSF’s environmental and hazardous materials programs. 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.
“Ed has been an active participant on several AAR committees including the Haz Mat (BOE) Committee, the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Committee and the group which developed the routing model used to evaluate the safety and security of trains carrying TIH, explosives and radioactive materials,” said AAR Senior Vice President of Safety and Operations Robert VanderClute. “In addition, he has been active in the Transportation Research Board Hazmat Committee and is currently the Chairman of the National TRANSCAER Task Group. His efforts have truly helped improve hazmat transportation safety in North America.”
A hazardous material NAR is an unintentional release of a hazardous material while in transportation, but not involving an accident. The 2013 AAR NAR Reduction Awards winners:
The 2013 Non-Accident Release Grand Slam Award went to Chevron Products Company, Koch Fertilizer, LLC, and Targa Resources. AAR and the BOE bestow the NAR Grand Slam Award annually to companies that are exemplary shippers of hazardous materials. To be eligible to receive the award, a shipper must be honored individually by at least four Class I railroads and have zero non-accident releases involving their shipments the previous calendar year. The 2013 Perfect Game Award went to ERCO Worldwide, LANXESS Corporation, Moose Jaw Refinery Partnership, Occidental Chemical Corporation, PVS Chemicals, Inc., Solvay Chemicals, Styrolution, and Westlake Chemical Corporation. An award winner must have been recognized 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 also recently received the 2013 TRANSCAER® National Achievement Award in recognition of their extraordinary efforts in support of the TRANSCAER® initiative. TRANSCAER® members consist of volunteer representatives from the chemical manufacturing, transportation, distributor and emergency response industries, as well as the government.
(Source: AAR)
