Past Winners - Robert Zalosh Awards

The Center for Hydrogen Safety is proud to announce BakerRisk as the recipient of the 2025 Robert Zalosh Hydrogen Safety Excellence Award in the Organizational Category. This award recognizes BakerRisk's outstanding contributions to advancing hydrogen safety and excellence within the industry.

BakerRisk is a global leader in technical risk management, dedicated to enhancing safety culture and ensuring safe outcomes across industries. With expertise spanning oil and gas, manufacturing, agriculture, and low-carbon energy, BakerRisk delivers cutting-edge solutions that set the standard for safety and innovation.

A pioneer in large-scale hydrogen testing, BakerRisk has conducted critical research on explosion dynamics, flammable dispersion, and material compatibility. Their state-of-the-art test programs—including full-scale vented deflagration studies, vapor cloud explosion tests, and ignition testing of high-flow hydrogen releases—help shape the industry's understanding of hydrogen hazards. BakerRisk’s testing efforts support safer facility designs and provide key data for risk assessments.

BakerRisk also leads the way in software development, integrating hydrogen-specific models into their proprietary SafeSite3G© platform. Leveraging real-world test data, these advancements enhance predictive capabilities for blast effects, fire behavior, and gas dispersion, helping industries design safer hydrogen infrastructure.

A key contributor to organizations such as the Compressed Gas Association and the American Hydrogen Forum, BakerRisk actively shapes industry standards, ensuring practical, science-backed safety solutions. With over 180 hydrogen-related projects completed, BakerRisk continues to drive innovation in hydrogen safety, risk assessment, and hazard mitigation worldwide.

The Center for Hydrogen Safety is proud to announce the San Bernardino County Transit Authority’s “Zero-Emission Multiple Unit” project as the recipient of the 2025 Robert Zalosh Hydrogen Safety Excellence Award in the Project Category. This award recognizes the Zero-Emission Multiple Unit project’s outstanding commitment to hydrogen safety, its role as a model for the industry, and its transformative impact on safety standards for hydrogen in rail transportation.

The Zero-Emission Multiple Unit (ZEMU) Project is revolutionizing rail transportation in San Bernardino County with the nation’s first hybrid hydrogen-battery rail vehicle. This groundbreaking initiative involves a federally compliant hybrid hydrogen fuel cell (HFC)-battery train, developed through a partnership between San Bernardino County Transit Authority and Stadler. The team created vehicle specifications, designed a hydrogen fueling facility, and retrofitted the Arrow Maintenance Facility to meet hydrogen safety standards, setting the stage for future hydrogen rail solutions in the U.S.

The project team focused on several critical areas to ensure safety and compliance. Comprehensive hazard assessments, design, and testing ensured the HFC-battery hybrid train met Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) safety standards, making it the first hydrogen-powered train certified for U.S. operation. The team also developed hydrogen fueling infrastructure, including layout design and safety hazard assessments, ensuring safe refueling operations. Extensive upgrades were made to the Arrow Maintenance Facility, including ventilation, fire suppression, and detection systems, with CFD modeling to ensure safety during hydrogen leak scenarios.

In addition to infrastructure and vehicle safety, the team developed training programs to ensure safe operation and maintenance of hydrogen-powered vehicles, supporting FRA certification and mitigating potential risks.

The ZEMU Project sets new safety and regulatory standards for hydrogen rail transportation in the U.S., paving the way for wider deployment of hydrogen-powered trains and offering a model for future clean transportation solutions.

The Center for Hydrogen Safety is proud to announce Derek Miller as the recipient of the 2025 Robert Zalosh Hydrogen Safety Excellence Award in the Individual Category. This award recognizes Derek Miller's contributions to advancing our understanding of the safe use of hydrogen through his research, his significant impact on hydrogen safety within the industry, and his unwavering commitment to hydrogen safety education.

Derek Miller is a recognized leader in hydrogen safety, driving advancements in consequence prediction methodologies, industry collaboration, education, and mentorship.

His pioneering work in consequence modeling for hydrogen jet fires, explosions, and overpressure failures has set industry standards, with his methodologies integrated into Sandia’s HyRAM, DNV’s PHAST, and BakerRisk’s SafeSite tools. Through publications, presentations, and direct engagement with regulators, Derek has ensured these models are widely adopted and grounded in real-world data.

A dedicated advocate for hydrogen safety, he has played a key role in industry initiatives, including the Compressed Gas Association’s Hydrogen Safety and Technology Seminar and joint research programs. His expertise has also contributed to key safety standards such as NFPA 2.

Beyond technical contributions, Derek actively educates first responders and regulators worldwide, ensuring hydrogen safety practices are both effective and practical. Through mentorship and knowledge-sharing, he continues to shape the future of hydrogen safety, making a lasting impact on the industry.