National Safety Council Award Demonstrates Successful Safety Culture at PPPO

Workers segment a converter in support of continued deactivation activities at the Paducah C-333 Process Building. The National Safety Council’s Million Work Hours Award presented to the Paducah Site deactivation and remediation contractor, Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership, demonstrates the achievement of completing such complex work while keeping safety at the forefront.

PADUCAH, Ky. — The National Safety Council has awarded the deactivation and remediation contractor at the Paducah Site its Million Work Hours Award, reflecting the safe completion of some of the most complex and challenging work at the site.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management contractor Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership (FRNP) received the honor on the heels of exceeding 4 million safe work hours without a lost workday accident.

“This award recognizes the dedication of the entire Paducah workforce to protecting each other, our community and the environment while carrying out DOE’s cleanup mission,” Portsmouth Paducah Project Office (PPPO) Manager Joel Bradburne said.

The award also shines a light on EM's efforts to draw from the best of American industry to run the largest environmental cleanup program in the world, safely meeting DOE’s legal cleanup responsibilities to ensure American communities are safe and prosperous.

What's more, FRNP is among four contractors with PPPO that reached safety milestones earlier this year, collectively achieving nearly 18 million safe work hours. The accomplishment demonstrates their commitment to a strong safety culture while making substantial progress in cleanup at the Paducah, Kentucky, and Portsmouth, Ohio, legacy nuclear sites.

At the Paducah Site, FRNP team members advanced a range of projects while maintaining the highest standards of worker safety. They shipped more than 5 million pounds of refrigerant for incineration, removed hundreds of pieces of process gas equipment from former uranium enrichment facilities and demolished more than 33 facilities, including the site’s tallest structure, the C-611-R High Pressure Fire Water Tower.

Crews also achieved progress toward the reindustrialization of the site, transferring more than 765,000 pounds of recyclable materials to the community’s reuse organization and supporting land reuse efforts that prepare the site for future economic growth.

“These achievements are a result of prioritizing safety at every step of the mission,” Bradburne said.

The Million Work Hours Award is presented to organizations completing at least 1 million consecutive work hours without a lost-time injury. The council is a nonprofit safety advocate, focusing on eliminating the leading causes of preventable injuries and deaths.

FRNP’s recognition highlights the essential role safety plays in advancing DOE’s cleanup mission, conducted in accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, while protecting the workforce and the surrounding community.

“Our employees take pride in knowing safety is not just a requirement, but a core value, ensuring everybody goes home safe each day,” FRNP Paducah Site Program Manager Myrna Redfield said. “Surpassing 4 million safe hours is a remarkable accomplishment that underscores our team’s vigilance and care in everything they do.”

-Contributor: Dylan Nichols