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DOE presents ORISE its 14th Star of Excellence Award

Posted at 1:00 pm October 25, 2019
By Amy Schwinge Leave a Comment

U.S. Department of Energy Director of Office of Worker Safety and Health Assistance and DOE Office of Health and Safety Bradley Davy (right) presents the 14th Star of Excellence Award to ORISE Environment, Safety, and Health representative Mark Berkheimer. (Submitted photo)

 

For the 14th year in a row, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education has met the exceptional health and safety standards set by the U.S. Department of Energy, which recently presented ORISE with the Star of Excellence Award during DOE’s annual Voluntary Protection Program Participants’ Association national conference.

The Star of Excellence award represents the highest achievement level held by DOE sites nationwide, a press release said. It is presented to contractors who meet exceptional safety and health standards, such as an injury and illness rate of 75 percent better than the national average of comparable U.S. businesses. The award also recognizes ORISE’s role in actively mentoring other companies to help improve their safety performance. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Oak Ridge Associated Universities, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: DOE, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, ORISE, Tom Wantland, U.S. Department of Energy, Voluntary Protection Program, VPP

Safety Fest TN opens with Community Safety Forum on Tuesday

Posted at 2:48 pm September 11, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Submitted photo

Submitted photo

 

On September 12, Safety Fest TN will hold a Community Safety Forum, an annual event that officially kicks off Safety Fest TN and its Safety Expo.

Safety Fest TN offers free safety classes to residents and companies September 11-15.

This year’s Community Safety Forum will be held in the Wamp Auditorium at 9 a.m. Tuesday, September 12, at the New Hope Center at Y-12 National Security Complex. More than 900 people have registered for the event.

Headlining the Community Safety Forum are Burns Phillips, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce; Steve Hawkins, administrator of the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration; David Purkey, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security; and Patrick Sheehan, the director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

“We wanted to offer our audience a statewide perspective on workplace safety and emergency preparedness, and who best to deliver that message than the commissioners and their administrators?” said Tom Wantland, a Safety Fest TN organizer. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Burns Phillips, CNS, community safety forum, Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, Dave Neubauer, David Purkey, J.J. Rochelle, Jenny Freeman, Joe Estey, Michelle Keever, New Hope Center, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Patrick Sheehan, Pollard Technology Conference Center, Safety Expo, Safety Fest TN, Secret City Fire Officer Conference, Steve Hawkins, Strata-G LLC, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce, Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Tom Wantland, UCOR, URS-CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, Wamp Auditorium, Y-12 National Security Complex

Safety Fest TN in Oak Ridge, Knoxville to feature more than 80 free safety & health classes, sessions, demonstrations

Posted at 2:57 pm August 31, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

 

Safety Fest TNThe Fifth Annual Safety Fest TN is scheduled for September 12-16 in Oak Ridge and Knoxville, and it will feature more than 80 free safety and health classes, sessions, and demonstrations. In addition to the free classes, a Safety Expo and Safety Demonstrations will take place on September 13 and 14, along with the “Secret City” Fire Officer Conference on September 14 and 15, a press release said.

The majority of the classes and sessions will be hosted by Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, or CNS, at the New Hope Center at 602 Scarboro Road in Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Associated Universities, or ORAU, at Pollard Technology Conference Center at 210 Badger Avenue in Oak Ridge. But classes are also being offered at seven other area locations including two in Knoxville, the press release said.

“It’s all about safety and health at work, at home and in the community,” said Michelle Keever, the Safety Fest TN class coordinator from URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, or UCOR. “And what a community! In collaboration and with the irreplaceable help of United Steel Workers Local 9-288, we’re thrilled that 20 seniors at Sunbright School will receive OSHA 40-hour HAZWOPER training.” Sunbright is a one-campus pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade school located in rural Morgan County. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: CNS, Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, Dave Neubauer, J.J. Rochelle, Jenny Freeman, Joe Estey, Michelle Keever, New Hope Center, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, ORAU, Pollard Technology Conference Center, Pro2Serve, safety and health, safety demonstrations, Safety Expo, Safety Fest TN, Secret City Fire Officer Conference, Strata-G LLC, Tom Wantland, UCOR

ORISE recognized by EPA as Federal Green Challenge award winner

Posted at 1:19 pm June 19, 2014
By Oak Ridge Associated Universities Leave a Comment

ORISE Logo

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education received a 2014 Federal Green Challenge award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for improving its water consumption levels and its electronic sustainability and recycling efforts in 2013 by the highest percentage increase compared to the previous year in the Southeast region. ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities for the U.S. Department of Energy.

According to the EPA website, the 2014 Federal Green Challenge award winners are recognized “for their outstanding efforts and for their leadership in reducing the environmental footprint of federal government activities.”

“ORISE reduced its water consumption by 60 percent in 2013 with the majority of the improvement resulting from a more efficient, automated sprinkler system with a moisture sensor used for some of its landscaping, which would only irrigate when the soil was dry,” said Tom Wantland, director of ORAU’s environment, safety, and health programs. “If moisture from rain was present, the irrigation system would automatically detect it, and the system would not operate.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: award, electronic sustainability, environmentally friendly, EPA, Federal Green Challenge, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, ORISE, recycling, Southeast, sprinkler system, Tom Wantland, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, water consumption

ORAU employees recycle about 10,000 pounds of ‘technotrash,’ paper, shoes

Posted at 10:09 am April 25, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

ORAU Earth Day

Annabel Fontaine shows off her ORAU Earth Day event T-shirt; the first 75 employees to participate in this event received one of these shirts. (Submitted photos)

For the fifth year in a row, Oak Ridge Associated Universities coordinated an annual event in conjunction with Earth Day to encourage ORAU’s 1,100 employees to bring in unwanted items from home to recycle, a press release said.

As part of this year’s two-day event on April 22-23, ORAU accepted a total of almost 10,000 pounds of technotrash (computers, related accessories, or other electronic items), paper for secure shredding, unwanted medicine as part of Operation Medicine Cabinet in collaboration with the Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention and the Oak Ridge Police Department, and 414 pairs of “gently used” shoes to donate to those in need through the Soles4Souls nonprofit organization, the release said.

“ORAU’s Earth Day event has grown each year since its start in 2010 as many employees use it as a spring cleaning ritual; this event not only helps the environment by recycling unwanted items and those in need with the donation of shoes, it keeps unwanted medicine out of the hands of children or drug abusers with Operation Medicine Cabinet, which was a new element to this year’s event,” said Tom Wantland, ORAU’s director of Environment, Safety, and Health. “Employee feedback shows that employees want to recycle, because it is the right thing to do; as an added incentive, ORAU provides T-shirts to the first 75 employees who participate in the event.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention, Earth Day, environment safety and health, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Oak Ridge Police Department, Operation Medicine Cabinet, ORAU, paper, recycle, shoes, Soles4Souls, technotrash, Tom Wantland

ORAU names new environment, safety, health director

Posted at 10:00 am June 26, 2012
By Dawn Huotari Leave a Comment

Tom Wantland

Tom Wantland, new director of ORAU’s Environment, Safety and Health program.

Oak Ridge Associated Universities has a new Environment, Safety and Health program director.

Tom Wantland has been promoted to the position, an ORAU press release said.

Wantland, who has been serving as ORAU’s manager of safety and environmental management, will now oversee the daily operations of the ESH program and assume the role of ORAU’s corporate safety director.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Tom Wantland

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Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

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