Kentucky’s governor recently awarded two prime contractors for EM’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO) the state’s top safety and health award.
Mid-America Conversion Services (MCS), headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, and Paducah Site infrastructure support services contractor Swift & Staley, Inc. (SSI) both received the Governor’s Safety and Health Award at the Governor’s Safety and Health Conference and Exhibition in Bowling Green, Kentucky, last month.
“Protecting our folks on the job — it’s a part of our faith; it’s part of our values; it’s a part of looking out for everyone and living that very simple lesson that everybody counts,” Gov. Andy Beshear said. “When we commit to safety, I think we live out that faith and those values.”
For more than three decades, the Governor’s Safety and Health Award has recognized organizations each year that demonstrate outstanding safety and health performance.
“A culture of safety is a journey, not a destination,” said MCS President and Project Manager Dutch Conrad. “It requires our continuing diligence, great leadership and the support of our United Steel Workers partners to accomplish milestones such as this.”
MCS operates and maintains the depleted uranium hexafluoride conversion facilities at the Portsmouth and Paducah Sites in Ohio and Kentucky, respectively. SSI provides numerous “landlord” functions including maintenance and security at Paducah.
Through Dec. 31, 2021, MCS employees logged almost 1.2 million hours on the job without a workplace injury accident or illness that resulted in lost time for the company, according to the Kentucky Labor Cabinet’s Department of Workplace Standards.
“These numbers are a result of true dedication to safety by every employee that comes to work each day at MCS,” said Joe Johnson, the environment, safety and health manager at Paducah. “Our employees want to be safe and they are safe.”
SSI employees worked 540,428 hours through the end of 2021 without an injury resulting in days away from work.
"Our employees work hard every day to provide exceptional service without injury and on schedule," said John Hobbs, SSI environment, safety and health manager. “Receiving this award is a reflection of those efforts and validates our priorities."
PPPO Manager Joel Bradburne said a robust commitment to health and safety at all federal and contractor levels is reflective of EM’s culture.
“Those responsible for ensuring our workers’ health and safety should be recognized for the important role they play,” Bradburne said. “PPPO appreciates Gov. Beshear’s personal acknowledgement of the importance of DOE worker safety.”
Source: https://www.energy.gov/em/articles/paducah-contractors-win-kentucky-governors-safety-and-health-award
