OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - The National Safety Council recognized two safety managers with DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management cleanup contractor as 2018 Rising Stars of Safety, a prestigious award given to only 38 recipients globally this year.
Clint Wolfley, URS | CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR) environmental safety, health, and quality assurance manager, and Stephanie Miller, environmental, safety, and health operations manager for waste management, were spotlighted as safety leaders younger than 40 dedicated to safety leadership at work.
Wolfley said he believes many companies do a good job identifying best practices and incorporating lessons learned into their safety programs. However, they often lack creativity in introducing innovations that can raise safety to a higher level, he said.
Miller cited numerous examples of UCOR incorporating innovations into the field.
“My Zone" technology connects a worker’s hardhat with nearby equipment, sending a signal when the worker gets too close to the operating equipment. A tablet app tracks employee temperatures to prevent heat stress as they work in personal protective equipment. UCOR is also using virtual reality software to provide realistic computer-based training on aerial lifts, confined space operations, and lockout/tag-out activities - the process controlling hazardous energy to prevent injuries to workers during maintenance.
“Sometimes, technology sounds good in theory, but it doesn’t work as expected in practice," Wolfley said. “But you have to be willing to try different things to see what does work."
UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter said Wolfley and Miller improve the safety of workers as they perform some of the nation’s most challenging environmental cleanup.
“Their commitment to workforce engagement and our culture of excellence is a major contributor to delivering on our commitment to ensure all of our team returns home safely," Rueter said.
In 2016, the council announced a goal of eliminating preventable deaths and called for “fresh and innovative ideas and initiatives" to lower injury and death rates in the workplace.
Council President and CEO Deborah A.P. Hersman said each member of the 2018 Class of Rising Stars of Safety embraces zero as the only acceptable number when it comes to injuries and deaths.
“They see a specific problem, they figure out how to solve it, and then they act," Hersman said.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
