Oak Ridge Today

DOE presents ORISE its 14th Star of Excellence Award

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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…]

ORISE receives DOE Legacy of Stars safety, health award

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US DOE VPP Legacy of Stars Award

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education has been given a 2014 Legacy of Stars award.

This is the third consecutive time ORISE has received the prestigious designation and only one of 10 such awards granted nationwide in 2014, a press release said. ORISE first achieved this designation in 2008.

The award is presented by the U.S. Department of Energy, and it recognize outstanding safety and health performance.

ORISE is managed for DOE by Oak Ridge Associated Universities. [Read more…]

Y-12 receives two significant safety awards

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For the 10th consecutive year, the Y‑12 National Security Complex received the National Safety Council’s Occupational Excellence Achievement award. This award recognizes companies, units, or facilities that have reported injuries and illnesses that involved days away from work equal to or less than 50 percent of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics rating for their industry and have had no fatalities during a calendar year.

“We want to reduce our lost workday case rate to zero,” said B&W Y-12 President and General Manager Chuck Spencer. “During calendar year 2012 (for which this award was given), our rate was 0.17. The comparable industry incident rate is 1.6. Y-12 employees can be proud of making safety a value in their daily lives.”

The second award received was the U.S. Department of Energy Voluntary Protection Program Star of Excellence. As the award states, employees have “achieved an outstanding level of performance in meeting established safety and health goals, actively conducting outreach to others and in achieving an injury and illness rate significantly below the average of similar businesses and operations.” [Read more…]

B&W Y-12 names Bill Reis as vice president of public, governmental affairs

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Bill Reis

Bill Reis

Bill Reis has been appointed vice president of public and governmental affairs for B&W Y-12, the contractor that manages and operates the Y-12 National Security Complex.

Reis has worked at Y-12 for 30 years in a variety of roles, a press release said. He most recently served as vice president for environment, safety, and health. During his tenure, B&W Y-12 achieved Voluntary Protection Program, or VPP, Star status, reduced the recordable injury rate by 30 percent, and developed a more robust health and wellness program. In this role, he has also been the site’s primary interface with local, state, and federal environmental agencies. [Read more…]

Y-12 Construction team honored for safety milestones

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B&W Y-12 Construction Awards

Tom Morris, B&W Y-12 vice president of projects, presents construction safety awards to Monica Lewis, Y-12 craft safety lead representative, and Kevin Adkisson, Knoxville Building and Construction Trades Council president.
(Submitted photos)

A B&W Y-12 construction team was recently honored for two major safety achievements: working more than one million hours without a lost-time accident and having no recordable injuries in 2012, a press release said.

The B&W Y‑12 Direct-Hire Construction team achieved the one-million-hour milestone in June 2012. By January 2013, the team had reached 1.4 million hours (more than 800 days) without a lost-time accident, the press release said. The team’s last lost workday occurred in September 2010.

Jim Haynes, B&W Y-12 senior vice president and deputy general manager for projects, called it “a superb accomplishment.

[Read more…]

Y-12 safety program recognized

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Y-12 VPP Star Site

A new VPP Star Site flag at Y-12 National Security Complex recognizes achievements in safety and health programs. From left are Dan Hoag, acting Y-12 site manager; Bill Klemm, B&W Y-12 senior vice president and deputy general manager; and Steve Jones, Atomic Trades and Labor Council president.

A Tuesday flag-raising ceremony recognized the efforts by workers at Y-12 National Security Complex to keep employees safe, preventing injuries and reducing the number of lost work days.

Y-12 has been recognized as having outstanding safety and health programs under the U.S. Department of Energy Voluntary Protection Program, or DOE-VPP, and the plant has been designated as a VPP Star Site, the highest achievement level.

[Read more…]