ASLRRA values and recognizes safe practices across our industry. Members are recognized for their contributions and achievements. ASLRRA's Annual President's Awards and Jake Awards are determined by region, and award winners are recognized at the Fall Regional Meetings. The Safety Person of the Year and Safety Professional of the Year are recognized and awarded at ASLRRA's Annual Conference each spring.
If you are interested in sponsoring the Safety Awards, visit our sponsorship page for more information, or contact Crystal Gitchell at (202) 585-3442.
ASLRRA gives out two awards every year based on nomination criteria. These awards are as follows:
The Safety Person of the Year Award recognizes an employee of a member railroad who works with management on effective safety programs, exhibits a high degree of safety awareness and contributes off-duty time to activities promoting safety awareness in the community. A safety person candidate would be any railroad employee at any level whose actions consistently show a dedication to safe performance on the railroad – even if “safety” is not in their title. In other words, a safety person is someone who has multiple jobs or responsibilities, with safety being part of what they do.
2025 Safety Person of the Year nominations are now open! Submit a nomination form by Nov. 15.
The Safety Professional of the Year is open to any railroad management employee of an ASLRRA member railroad who is responsible for safety programs, training and the overall management of safe behavior and actions on their railroad(s). In other words, a safety professional is someone whose job is safety on a full-time basis. Examples include manager of training, director of safety and operations, safety manager, head of safety and training, etc.
2025 Safety Professional of the Year nominations are now open! Submit a nomination form by Nov. 15.
To be eligible for both Jake and President's awards, ASLRRA member railroads must complete Form F 6180.55 (Railroad Injury and Illness Summary) for all twelve months of the applicable year as well as any required accident/incident reporting forms. Those incident forms are submitted with 6180.55 on a case-by-case basis depending on the nature of each incident.
More detailed information, including a guide covering all applicable forms can be found on the FRA Safety Data site.
To review 2023 Employee on Duty Safety Metrics for all eligible ASLRRA railroad members please click here. The group frequency rate of 2023 employee cases per 200,000 hours worked was 2.38.
President’s Awards are presented regionally based on the previous year's safety data, according to the following criteria:
Congratulations to our President’s Award Winners – based on 2023 Safety Performance! The President's Award recipients are recognized at ASLRRA's Regional Meetings.
The Jake Awards fall into two categories:
Congratulations to this year's ASLRRA Jake Award Winners - based on 2023 data.
To learn more about the Jake Award’s namesake and creator, Lowell S. “Jake” Jacobson, click here.
