CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – April 24, 2007 – The Cedar Rapids and Iowa City (CRANDIC) Railway, an Alliant Energy Transportation company, is being honored on a national level for its safety achievements. For the second year in a row, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) has presented CRANDIC with the Jake Safety Award. The ASLRRA represents more than 400 short line and regional railroads in North America.
To earn the Jake Award, a railroad must have a lower yearly Frequency/Severity Index (FSI) rate than the industry average. The FSI calculation is based on the number of employees, total work hours, and the seriousness of injuries occurring over the course of a year. In 2006, CRANDIC’s 80 employees sustained just two non-serious recordable injuries and zero lost-work injuries.
“Day in and day out, our goal is to perform our work in the safest manner possible,” said Kevin Burke, chief operating officer – CRANDIC Railway. “Each of our employees is dedicated to that purpose, and it’s rewarding to be recognized for our safety commitment and success.”
CRANDIC has a multitude of programs in place to prevent injuries, including pre-shift stretching, job safety briefings, and empowering employees to identify and correct unsafe actions before injuries occur. “It’s a matter of effectively integrating safety into the work culture,” Burke explained.
