Cincinnati Metro recognized more than 90 operators and maintenance employees during the agency’s 48th Annual Safety Awards for achieving outstanding safety milestones.
“We have outstanding employees here at Metro, as demonstrated by the incredible milestones that many have achieved in the past year,” said Darryl Haley, Cincinnati Metro CEO and general manager. “We take great pride in the confidence our riders have in us to get them to their destination safely every day. It’s the hard work and the commitment of our employees that instills that confidence.”
Cincinnati Metro transit operator Michael Cassinelli, who started at the agency in 1988, was inducted into the National Safety Council’s prestigious Two Million Mile Club for driving two million miles over the past 30 years without a preventable accident.
Two million miles is like driving to the moon and back four times or driving around the circumference of the earth 80 times. Cincinnati Metro says it is a feat achieved by only one-tenth of transit operators nationwide during their careers. To log two million miles, an operator would have spent between 36,000 and 40,000 hours on the road.
Cincinnati Metro also honored maintenance employee Bruce Tabar for achieving 35 years without an accident. Tabar is a mechanic in Metro’s Main Shop and has been at the agency since 1977.
Milestone awards were given to employees who achieved between five and 35 years without a preventable accident or injury. A preventable accident is one in which the employee did not exercise every available precautionary measure to avoid the accident.
Overall, 94 operators and maintenance employees achieved outstanding safety milestones. Five employees reached 10 years without a preventable accident within their first 13 years of service; 15 employees achieved 10 consecutive years; 19 employees reached 15 or more years; 13 employees had 20 or more years; and four employees achieved 25 or more years free of accidents or injuries.
The employees recognized demonstrate Cincinnati Metro’s commitment to safety, a commitment that saw the transit agency make big strides in 2020.
Over the course of the year, Cincinnati Metro:
- Reduced collisions overall by 37 percent.
- Reduced preventable collisions by 13.4 percent.
- Reduced maintenance injuries by 37 percent.
