Washington River Protection Solutions President and Project Manager Wes Bryan welcomed approximately 40 new employees to a class specifically tailored to introduce employees to the Hanford Site’s safety culture and encourage participation in safety committees.

Washington River Protection Solutions President and Project Manager Wes Bryan welcomed approximately 40 new employees to a class specifically tailored to introduce employees to the Hanford Site’s safety culture and encourage participation in safety committees.

RICHLAND, Wash. – A sustained team effort on the Hanford Site is driving employee engagement in safety to a new level.

In 2022, EM Office of River Protection (ORP) tank operations contractor Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) developed a strategy to ensure new employees become engaged in Hanford’s safety culture. This approach also introduces the new hires to the WRPS Employee Accident Prevention Councils (EAPCs). The councils provide a partnership between workers and management to improve safety performance through the Voluntary Protection Program and Integrated Safety Management System structure within WRPS.

“Safety is our overriding priority to protect the workers, public and environment,” said Delmar Noyes, ORP assistant manager for Tank Farms Project. “Letting employees know they are crucial to maintaining that safety culture is key.”

Hanford Site contractor Washington River Protection Solutions' Employee Accident Prevention Councils meet regularly to increase employee engagement in the site’s safety culture.
Hanford Site contractor Washington River Protection Solutions' Employee Accident Prevention Councils meet regularly to increase employee engagement in the site’s safety culture.

Key to increasing engagement in EAPCs is the Stepping Stones for Safety Excellence class. The class, developed by WRPS’ Industrial Safety team, is for employees who have been at WRPS for 90 to 120 days. It provides a comprehensive overview of WRPS safety programs and encourages participation in safety committees, councils and other programs.

EAPC co-chairs visit the safety classes and tell new employees what the EAPCs do and how the employees can get involved, ensuring new hires leave the class knowing which EAPCs they belong to.

Senior leadership also encourages active engagement.

“You are part of our safety culture; your active participation ensures we keep each other safe,” Wes Bryan, WRPS president and project manager, said at a recent class with employees. “This requires a commitment from all of us in this room, including me.”

In the class, employees learn about safety programs and how they serve employees. They can also ask questions of program leaders and experts. From 2021 to 2022 the EAPCs increased employee participation by nearly 41%, with more than 2,000 individuals attending meetings in person or virtually. Program organizers are expecting that trend to continue in 2023.