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ISRI Honors Safe Driver, Golden Wrench Awards Recipients
ISRI named Sadoff Iron & Metal employees as its Safe Driver of the Year and Golden Wrench Awards recipients for 2019.
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From left, ISRI Vice Chairman Brian Henesey, Safe Driver of the Year recipient Mike O'Connor and ISRI Senior Vice President and Underwriting Officer Dan Curran.
Two employees from Sadoff Iron & Metal in Fond Du Lac, Wis., were honored for their work and achievements in safety during the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) 2019 Convention and Exposition in Los Angeles.
Mike O’Connor was presented with ISRI’s Safe Driver of the Year Award for completing 41 verifiable years of safe driving, and Aaron Radl received ISRI’s Golden Wrench Award for his career in vehicle maintenance as a shift supervisor for Sadoff Iron & Metal.
“Mike O’Connor has more than four decades of strong, safe driving experience,” said Commodor Hall, transportation safety director for ISRI, in a statement. “His track record illustrates that safety is a core value for himself, his coworkers and everyone else on the road around him. For his safe driving skills, and exemplarily record, ISRI is honored to present Mike O’Connor with this year’s Safe Driver Award.”
O’Connor has driven for Sadoff Iron & Metal since 1977 after he served six years in the U.S. Navy. He is a four-time winner of the Wisconsin Motor Carrier Association Presidents Safe Driving Award, and he was recognized as the third place ISRI Driver of the Year for 2016 and the second place ISRI Driver of the Year for 2017. In addition to his work, he has volunteered for serval positions in his community including driving a bus for Lourdes Academy in Oshkosh, Wis., and serving on the St. Vincent’s Church Parish Council. In his free time, he spends time with his son’s family in Oshkosh and his daughter’s family in Atlanta.
“Mike is our most senior driver and continues to be an example for others to follow,” said Andy Coates, transportation service manager for Sadoff Iron & Metal, in a statement. “His dedication to the company and his craft are obvious. Mike operates in a safe and efficient manner, servicing our customers with professionalism showing them why Sadoff Iron & Metal is the preferred choice in recycling.”
ISRI’s Safe Driver of the Year Award, now in its seventh year, recognizes outstanding drivers who have driven a commercial vehicle for at least 20 years without incurring a preventable accident. The award is based on the following mandatory criteria:
Nominations may be submitted by ISRI members in good standing.
Nominees must be full-time employees whose primary responsibility is to operate a commercial motor vehicle.
Nominees must be current employees of the nominating member company and must be employed for at least one year (12 consecutive months).
Nominations must be made by someone familiar with the nominee’s work history, such as manager, safety director, etc.
No more than three drivers may be nominated from the same member company.
Nominees must meet the minimum requirement of 10 years of verifiable employment as a commercial motor vehicle driver.
Radl started with Sadoff Iron & Metal in May 2011. He currently serves as the second shift supervisor in the truck maintenance shop at the Fond du Lac location.
“It is with great pride that we honor Aaron Radl with the Golden Wrench Award,” said Hall in a statement. “His commitment to ensuring the fleet is maintained and in a safe driving condition serves as an example to others. Furthermore, Radl has dedicated himself to continuous improvement in his field, taken on additional responsibilities and helped drive a culture of safety. This award is well deserved.”
From left, ISRI Vice Chairman Brian Henesey, Golden Wrench Award recipient Aaron Radl and ISRI Senior Vice President and Underwriting Officer Dan Curran.
As part of Radl’s duties, he performs maintenance and directs the others involved to assure the fleet trucks are ready for the start of the next day. He performs these tasks and oversees the other repairs to assure quality performance resulting in safe vehicles and maintaining an excellent CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability) score. Radl’s diligence in continued education in the heavy truck arena has led to internal recognition and increased responsibility in areas Sadoff previously had not undertaken. This includes in-house transmission and engine rebuilds.
“We at Sadoff feel that Aaron has shown exemplary maintenance skills and leadership abilities,” said Dave Casper, equipment maintenance manager for Sadoff Iron & Metal, in a statement. “He has also participated in many of the fleet maintenance checklist modifications to assure a thorough inspection at each PM [preventive maintenance] Service and has a good sense of follow through. Along with this, he has also shown that he puts 110 percent in every day to ensure that safety is never forgotten and instills it upon others.”
The Golden Wrench Award is based on the following criteria:
Nominees must be full-time employees (employed by the member company for a minimum of one year) whose primary responsibility is to maintain commercial motor vehicles.
Nominations must be made by someone familiar with the nominee’s work history, such as a supervisor, safety director and so on.
No more than five vehicle maintenance technicians may be nominated from the same member company.
Nominees must meet the minimum requirement of five years of verifiable employment as a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) maintenance technician.
Nominees must have a minimum of 40 hours qualified medium/heavy and/or auto/light truck maintenance training (within the last three years). For example, training provided by a licensed technical school, community college, automotive technician training program or qualified equipment vendor.
Member company CSA vehicle maintenance performance score cannot exceed 60 percent (CSA threshold 80 percent).
No member company record of CSA intervention letters/alert notices within the past 24 months (in any of the CSA Seven Basics).
Non-mandatory, National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence medium/heavy truck and/or auto/light truck test completion and current certification (within the last five years).
Non-mandatory, a current commercial driver’s license.
Radl also received a crystal award and a personalized certificate.
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