ASLRRA Announces ‘Record Number’ of Jake Safety Award Winners
Written by Carolina Worrell, Senior Editor
Jake Jacobson is shown at the Copper Basin Railway yard.
The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) on July 10 announced a record number of member railroads (383) qualifying for a Jake Safety Award, as well as a record number (350) noted “with Distinction” for zero reportable injuries in 2022.
According to ASLRRA, member railroads posting zero reportable injuries has increased by 130% to 350 from 152 railroads in 1999 when the “Jake with Distinction” award was first bestowed.
From these top safety performers, 20 member railroads will be further recognized as President’s Safety Award winners for the lowest injury frequency rate in a variety of per person-hour categories, according to the Association.
To be honored with a Jake Award, an ASLRRA member, according to the Association, “must perform better than the industry average reportable injury frequency rate for railroads other than Class Is, commuter railroads and Amtrak as evidenced by Railroad Injury and Illness Summary Forms submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for each of the 12 months of 2022.”
The following ASLRRA members are President’s Award Winners, designated as a Jake Award recipient that posts the lowest reportable injury frequency rate per FRA regulations as measured within the various person-hour categories. The President’s Awards will be presented at the 2023 ASLRRA Regional Meetings held this fall.
Central Region Winners
- Watco Switching Services – Lowest Frequency Rate: More than 500,000 person-hours
- Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis – Lowest Frequency Rate: 250,000 – 500,000 person-hours
- Red River Valley & Western Railroad – Lowest Frequency Rate: 150,000 – 250,000 person hours
- Kyle Railroad Company – Lowest Frequency Rate: 50,000 – 150,000 person-hours
- Rail Logix Ameriport – Lowest Frequency Rate: Less Than 50,000 person-hours
Eastern Region Winners
- Consolidated Rail Corporation – Lowest Frequency Rate: More than 500,000 person-hours
- Indiana Rail Road Company – Lowest Frequency Rate: 250,000 – 500,000 person-hours
- Cleveland Works Railway Company – Lowest Frequency Rate: 150,000 – 250,000 person hours
- New England Central Railroad – Lowest Frequency Rate: 50,000 – 150,000 person-hours
- South Buffalo Railway – Lowest Frequency Rate: Less Than 50,000 person-hours
Pacific Region Winners
- Montana Rail Link – Lowest Frequency Rate: More than 500,000 person-hours
- Pacific Harbor Line – Lowest Frequency Rate: 250,000 – 500,000 person-hours
- Terminal Switching Services – Lowest Frequency Rate: 150,000 – 250,000 person hours
- Clarkdale Arizona Central Railroad – Lowest Frequency Rate: 50,000 – 150,000 person-hours
- Bighorn Divide & Wyoming Railroad – Lowest Frequency Rate: Less Than 50,000 person-hours
Southern Region Winners
- Conrad Yelvington Distributors – Lowest Frequency Rate: More than 500,000 person-hours
- Paducah & Louisville Railway – Lowest Frequency Rate: 250,000 – 500,000 person-hours
- Terminal Railway Alabama State Docks – Lowest Frequency Rate: 150,000 – 250,000 person hours
- Aberdeen, Carolina & Western Railway – Lowest Frequency Rate: 50,000 – 150,000 person-hours
- Tyner Terminal Railway Company – Lowest Frequency Rate: Less Than 50,000 person-hours
“The rail industry operates on a safety-first rule, and the Jake Awards are one measurement of the constant, daily focus the short line industry applies to operations in order to bring everyone home safely, every night,” said ASLRRA President Chuck Baker. “In 2022, the short line industry average incident rate has dropped nearly 5% to a record low 2.01 reportable incidents per 200,000 person-hours worked. In other words, the bar is higher than ever to achieve a Jake Award, yet ASLRRA members are exceeding that bar at a record rate, including more members than ever before with zero reportable incidents. Even with this best-ever performance, our industry will not rest – short lines continue to seek safety improvements with the help of the Short Line Safety Institute focused on safety culture, and with operating practices that drive improved safety performance and efficiency on our lines.”
The Jake Awards are named for the late Lowell S. “Jake” Jacobson, the President and General Manager of the Copper Basin Railway (CBRY). After achieving a perfect safety record for the CBRY in 1993, Jake realized that there was no award that recognized smaller railroads’ safety records.
In 1999, the ASLRRA Safety Committee adopted the Jake Awards, and since then, has continued Jacobson’s legacy of rewarding and drawing attention to the high safety standards of the small railroad industry. For more information on Jake’s legacy, click here.
Since its inception in 1995, the Jake Award program has distributed nearly 7,000 Jake and Jake with Distinction Awards to America’s small railroad community.
